


The Astral Legacy: Book Two

by thatgaymerguyB



Series: Astral Legacy [2]
Category: Original Work, The Astral Legacy - Fandom
Genre: 2019, 2020, AI, Action, Adventure, Alien Romance, Aliens, Artificial Intelligence, Bisexual Male Character, Black Characters, Black Male Character, Brutality, Combat, Daoran Race, Deception, Defeat, Emotional, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Experiments, Falling In Love, Fiction, Futuristic, Human Experimentation, Interracial Relationship, Interstellar - Freeform, Intimacy, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Character of Color, LGBTQ Themes, Love, M/M, Mass Effect - Freeform, Medical Experimentation, Memory Alteration, Memory Loss, Memory Related, Mental Coercion, Nanites, Near Future, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Original Character-centric, Original Characters - Freeform, Original Fiction, Original work - Freeform, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Outer Space, POV Alternating, POV Female Character, POV Male Character, POV Multiple, POV Original Character, POV Third Person, Protection, Psychological Warfare, Reptilian Aliens, Rescue, Romance, Science, Science Fiction, Scifi Romance, Separation, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Space Opera, Space Ships, Star Ships, Star Trek - Freeform, Telekinesis, UFOs, WIP, Warrior - Freeform, Work In Progress, alien character, alien relationship, boy meets alien, brain washing, brutal science, dark energy, fast paced, fighting against odds, finding yourself, gay love story, graphic content, mature content, mental distortion, pursued, scifi fantasy, scifibooks, space, sprawling, testing on humans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:35:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 68,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25393213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thatgaymerguyB/pseuds/thatgaymerguyB
Summary: Kale sat up quickly waking up from a nightmare he couldn’t remember.  He looked around the small room he was in not being able to recall how he got here.  The last thing he remembered was being saved from Kershala’s ship by Sindar and Kreloc.  He sat there for a moment taking deep breaths feeling incredibly anxious about his surroundings.  The small room he was in was very impersonal, nothing on the walls, lacking any real color or personality.  He turned in the bed to put his feet on the ground, the metal was cold to touch and made him hesitate at first.
Series: Astral Legacy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1647175
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

The first time they came for Kale it was in the middle of the night on the anniversary of his first month on the ship of the Scientist. He awoke to them pulling him out of the cot he was barely able to sleep in anyway. The dinosaur-esque face of one the two Shironian's that had started working on him when he was first brought aboard accompanied by one of the saurian brutes that seemed to make up most of the guard force on board the ship. They ripped him from the bed and before he could react had administered the neural inhibitor, they had become so fond of using on him since. Over the course of the next few weeks from that night Kale would undergo a series of surgeries to outfit his body with several implants the use of which Kale couldn't begin to fathom. The first time a flat metal circular piece in the base of his spine. The next night, only two nights later, two more in his lower back. The following three times would result in there being a total of fifteen of these implants spaced so there was one for almost every other vertebra in Kale's back. Finally, they had placed a larger one in the base of his skull. As they did the surgeries Kale was always aware of what was going on, the pain while it was numbed was unbearable afterwards. The implants were well taken care of, one of the humanoid Shironians would come every few hours to clean them up and make sure they were okay. Since the implant at the base of his skull had been put in his head had been aching and most of the time Kale could barely move often just laying on the cot on his stomach. He had lost probably forty pounds in his time there, the food was horrible to begin with but because of the pain he was in, he could barely eat. They had more recently restrained him and placed him on something of an intravenous vitamin mixture to keep him alive. His hair that had started to get long before he was taken now had fallen out either due to lack of nutrition or because of the surgeries and what they had done to his body. The people he had met his first night there, now mostly stayed away from him since the scientists would come around him so often. He thought they probably figured that while they were performing these experiments and operations on him, they were leaving the others alone. Tenaris would come in and sit with him from time to time but as the visits became more and more frequent, even he stopped showing up. Despite what the Shironian scientists had said about him his first night in the ship as they operated on him, he hadn't seen the Scientist since he was taken by her.

He had hoped Kershala would have been able to save him and the others before long, but the more time went on the less likely it was going to happen anytime soon. Kale could only imagine what happened when he got back to the city ship, if they had been the reason Kershala hadn't come for him yet. Kale often laid still and just thought of Kershala to get him through the days and nights and the memories he had of them were almost the only thing that kept him fighting the pain each day. He hoped that Kershala had been able to cope better with the pain at his loss then when they first met. He had hoped that he could at least derive strength from the fact he was still alive. He knew that Kershala hadn't given up on him and that was enough to keep him. Kale lay on the stiff cot with his head facing away from the doorway when the familiar shadow was cast on the wall of the humanoid that would check his implants regularly. Kale struggled and turned to look at him as he activated the lights in the unit. He held out a tool that emitted a light and Kale was lifted off the bed and kept in the same position he was laying in. He felt a warmth envelope his body as he was taken from his dormitory and into the halls. There was a single guard posted outside of his door, but none accompanied the scientist who was taking him.

"Your big day is finally here; we're going to finally see if all that metal in your body, will do what we need it to." Kale tried each time to observe his surroundings and get an idea of where they had been taking him but this time, he couldn't even move his head. The tool the Shironian used was likely a stasis generator and the field held him in place. After heading down several hallways some of which seemed familiar some that didn't, they were in a lab. Kale was placed on a large operating table on his back, as the stasis field was let off, he couldn't help but cry out as the weight of his body was placed on the implants. The pain was unlike anything he had felt before, it seemed to shoot from his head to the tip of his toes and back again. Another Shironian came from somewhere to his left and administered an injection into his neck. The pain quickly vanished, and Kale couldn't help but be angry at the fact they had the option to take the pain away this whole time but didn't use it. With the pain completely gone he was able to move under his own power and sat up slowly, dizziness followed.

"What have you butchers done to me?" he asked. His query went ignored as the two scientists left the room and she walked in from a door on the opposite side of the lab. She walked quickly over to him and Kale cowered at her approach not sure what to expect. She remained silent as she walked around behind him and reached out, running her slender fingers along the trail of implants they had installed. She seemed to be admiring the work.

"Wonderful, this will do nicely. Perform a scan and verify that the patterns are correct to my specifications. The equipment must be aligned perfectly for this to work." She seemed to be talking to someone Kale couldn't see when he realized there was an observation deck just above them along the wall.

"We have verified the information; do you wish to begin?" said a male's voice. The scientist took a deep breath and smiled as she looked up at the observation deck.

"Begin." As she spoke the table beneath Kale began to change and contorted until it was reconfigured into a large chair. He could hear the sound of movement beneath him when large metal straps appeared across his chest to hold him in place. He could feel something crawling along his back seemingly stopping at each of the implants. He could hear the sound of something clipping in place and could feel pressure on his back. Whatever it was crawling along his back came to his neck and Kale felt a jolt to the back of his head, suddenly able to taste metal in the back of his throat. "The implants are responding as expected, begin the recoding process." Kale's eyes suddenly felt heavy, he did everything he could to fight against it but there was nothing he could do as he drifted off.

Kale woke up on the couch of his grandmothers and looked at the clock on the wall. The house was silent other than Rhodie pacing the living room. It was late shortly after ten, the show he was watching had ended and the streaming service was asking if he was still paying attention. He got himself up off the couch and the dog started pacing to the door and back whimpering.

"Alright boy, calm down let me get my shoes on and we'll go." Kale stood up and walked past the window it was a particularly dark night outside. He grabbed his phone off the coffee table and walked out into the porch of the old house, the door rattled as he pulled it shut. He leashed up the dog and they went outside; Kale had his phone in his hand looking through his social media account as the dog did its business. Rhodie didn't often want to stay out in the dark and Kale was quite happy not to linger. The dog paced a few seconds before finding a spot to relieve itself and as it finished scratched and scrapped at the ground a bit almost proud of himself. Kale smiled as the dog sauntered over to him, the whole thing had been less than five minutes. "That's it? All that fuss for that." The dog whimpered and grumbled in response and walked back up the steps to the full length of the leash. Kale started slowly up the steps when a strange sound echoed above them. Startled Kale looked up not sure what to expect but could see a light blasting across the sky and land in the forest. "Cool." He spoke to himself and a sudden excitement come over him as he wondered what he just saw. If it were a meteorite it would be cool to have a piece of it for his table at home. He didn't want to take the dog just in case something dangerous was around, so he rushed up the stairs and took him inside. He sat his phone on the counter so he could take the leash off Rhodie and stood quickly grabbing a hoodie from the coat rack nearby. He rushed back outside and was a few minutes from the house before he realized that he left his phone on the counter. He quickly walked the only light to guide was the light coming from the clearing in the woods where the object had fallen. As he got closer, he could see that a small fire had started. "Hope that doesn't spread." It wasn't long before he came to the clearing and could tell right away that it was not a meteorite or anything of the sort. "What the hell?" He rushed out into the clearing he could see scuff marks from where something had crashed, a few feet from it a body lay against the rocks. He ran over to it and quickly realized that he wasn't looking at a human. He could tell it was female right away, but something didn't seem right. He got closer to the person laying in the wreckage and his head began to ache only slightly as he looked her over. She was tall and thin, her skin an odd grey color, her hair was long and draping and something about her reminded him of Alana. Her facial features seemed odd at first but as he got closer her small nose and rounded eyes were incredibly attractive. Suddenly there was a blood curdling scream that seemed to echo inside of his head. "Kershala," he said aloud not knowing why the name and scream were so familiar. The headache suddenly worsened to the point Kale could no longer stand, he was quickly overtaken, and he passed out.

"What's wrong with it? Why is he rejecting it?" he heard a female voice say. He could feel himself breathing heavy as he fought to wake up, he felt as though he was having a night terror, literally feeling something holding him down.

"It is too different from his real memory." A mans voice spoke.

"Reactivate it, give him the sedative to keep him under." The female again.

Kale blinked and the headache seemed to go away. The man in front of him was certainly no human but he was attractive. Even with his odd features, and sage colored skin something about him was oddly beautiful. He was laying their unconscious against a rock, a wound in his side that was bleeding a steel blue color. Kale took his hoody off as he got close and kneeled down beside the man, his first aid training running through his head.

"Hey are you okay? Can you hear me?" The man was well built and about six feet tall, he boasted an impressive musculature. He leaned in and touched the mans face trying to get a response. He propped open his eyes one at a time they were the same color as his eyes and his pupils seemed to be dilated. For some reason everything about him seemed familiar to Kale, even though he was clearly not human something about him was comfortable. "What are you?" Kale put an easy hand on the mans face resting it there for a minute when he opened his eyes. Kale pulled back but only slightly. The alien didn't react with fear at the sight of him. It reached up and took Kale's hand before sitting up slowly. "Are you okay? What the hell happened to you?"

"I… I was wounded," it said, "I was running from someone." The wounded man looked around at the wreckage. "I'm glad you found me." The man spoke with a familiar accent and a very deep voice.

"What's your name? How can I treat your wound?" Kale asked, finding it hard to believe he was talking to a real alien.

"I am, Jinnar," it said.

"My name is Kale. Is there something in your ship we could use to help you?"

"Yes, help me over to it, it is difficult to stand." Kale stood up and pulled Jinnar up with him. He fell into him as he pulled him up and Kale caught him. Jinnar looked up at him and the look in his eye told Kale he was vulnerable.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Kale. Jinnar stayed silent as he regained his balance and limped to the small ship. They came to the door, and Kale put his hand on the handle. It was hot to touch, he pulled away quickly.

"I can get it," said Jinnar. He leaned on the ship seemingly unbothered by the flames and after a couple tries ripped the door off the hinges with a grunt of exertion. Kale was impressed at the display of strength, whatever Jinnar was he was strong. He watched Jinnar all he wore was a pair of underwear that fit fairly firm, Kale figured it was the remnant of whatever space suit he had been wearing prior to the crash. "In here, there is a medical device I can use to help my wounds." All Kale could think of was that if someone else had found him, he would end up in a lab somewhere being worked on by some mad scientist, he was determined not to let that happen. He followed Jinnar into the tiny ship, and as he stepped down inside of it, he realized it was larger than he would have thought. Inside the vessel was strangely sterile but the damage from the crash was evident. Jinnar struggled and fell into the pilot's seat. He pointed to a compartment above his head. "It is in there." Kale walked over and pulled the handle to the compartment. He tried to open it, but it seemed to be jammed, he put a more of his weight behind it and pulled it open. Two vials and an injector tool came tumbling out one crashing to the ground and shattering immediately the other, Jinnar bounded from his seat and caught it in his hands the tool landing on the ground undamaged. He stayed silent and Kale could see the relief in his eyes as he looked over the vial. He picked the injector tool from the floor beside him and Kale watched him load the vial into it. He touched around the wound seemingly looking for a good spot to inject it when he touched the tool to his bare skin. There was a slight hiss as the injector fired and Jinnar flinched letting out a grunt as his skin began to seemingly grow back. His breathing became erratic and heavy and Kale could tell whatever was making this happen must have been painful. In about a minute his wound was completely closed, Kale was astounded at what he was witnessing.

"That was pretty crazy man? What are you?" he asked. Jinnar stayed quiet sitting in his chair, Kale wasn't familiar with his expressions since he wasn't human, but he was sure he could see grief forming in his face. Tears came to Jinnar's eyes and he let out a cry of grief. Kale felt the urge to reach out and comfort him but resisted it "Look dude you seem like you've had a pretty rough night and I don't know what I can do to make it better, but I can't stay here all night and I feel like I shouldn't leave you here either." Jinnar stood up and walked to one of the consoles on the ship. A strange sound started around them as power seemed to return to the ship. He watched as Jinnar wiped the tears from his eyes.

"System restart complete," A voice come from seemingly within the walls of the ship, it was all around them. "I detect that the ship is eighty four percent nonfunctional. Sensors offline, weapons offline, engines non-functional."

"What the hell's going on here?" asked Kale but Jinnar seemed to be suddenly ignoring him.

"We are on the only inhabitable planet in this system, I do not believe that your hunter will find you here. Shall I scuttle the ship?" The ships computer spoke and continued to ignore him. Kale wasn't sure what was going to happen next and wasn't sure what he should do so he sat and listened.

"Yes," said Jinnar, "Kershala must not find me." The name he spoke was familiar to Kale like he had heard it before, but he was convinced he was just getting déjà vu.

"Preparations are beginning, I suggest you and our guest get some distance away. Terrain damage will be minimum."

"I have to take you with me," said Jinnar. Kale was confused as to what he was referring to.

"Of course, I'm coming with you," he said.

"No, the ship's AI. You can't be destroyed with the ship." Jinnar stood from the pilot's seat and Kale watched as he input a series of button combinations into the main console. There was a sound to his left and he looked to see a box shaped unit come from the wall. A small cylinder sat in the center of it and was ejected from the unit. Jinnar picked it up and held it in his hand. "Come we must go." Jinnar took Kale's hand and the two of them fled the ship, there was a buzzing noise in the air as they exited the vehicle and it suddenly disintegrated, leaving nothing but a large black mark behind on the ground. Kale could not believe what he was seeing and was still waiting to wake up on his couch and find out it was all a dream. He looked at Jinnar who just stood there with the cylinder in his hand wearing only the under garment he found him in. Kale offered him his hoodie and he took it.

"Here put this on, you must be freezing. We can get you cleaned up back at the house." Kale turned away as Jinnar put the hoodie on over his head and started leading them through the woods back to his house. They remained quiet as they walked with nothing but the noises of the animals and the woods around them to break the silence. The walk wasn't far, but Kale couldn't help but feel anxious about the events that had happened. He found himself wondering what they had been through before they got to the planet and what would potentially follow them. He didn't feel as though he was in any danger with Jinnar but at the same time there were so many unknowns. What had chased him and wounded him being the most concerning. Kale buried his concern for the time being and let his wonder begin to take hold of him. He was walking with an alien life form that had a talking AI in its hand, it was something right out of a science fiction show. Kale loved the idea of space, if this were to happen to anyone on Earth, he was glad it was him. It wasn't long before they came to the edge of the forest.

"We're almost there, it's just beyond this clearing." They broke through the forest line and could see the house. Kale ran on ahead and stopped at the doorway to wait for Jinnar. Rhodie was excited to see him and was practically bouncing at the door as he approached. "Easy boy, easy. Don't mind the dog, he's friendly, he may want to sniff you though, his name's Rhodie." Kale walked in the house and Jinnar followed shortly after and sure enough Rhodie walked up to him and smelled him the interaction was over as it began with little event. Kale quickly shuffled Rhodie into the living room and put the dog gate across. He came back into the kitchen and flicked the light on he stopped as he saw Jinnar in the light for the first time. Jinnar smiled at him and sat the cylinder down on the counter his smile set Kale at ease more than expected. "I can't believe this is happening." Kale walked to the sink and turned on the water. "You should get cleaned off do you want some water?" A light began to flicker to life from the cylinder and passed over the water.

"It is safe for consumption." Jinnar nodded and walked over the sink and used his hands to take a mouthful of the water. Kale took a glass from the cupboard and filled it then passed it to him. Jinnar drank the water and sat the glass back on the counter.

"Thank you." Jinnar closed his eyes and his head twitched slightly as if adjusting to the water.

"Let's head upstairs you should get cleaned up." Kale beckoned to him and they followed him upstairs and into the large bathroom. Kale started a shower running a little warmer than lukewarm imagining that the hot water would feel good on a battered body. "Just wait a minute for the water to be warm before you get in. There's a bar of soap on the ledge in there. Did you need anything else?" Jinnar took the hoodie off and let it fall to the floor and quietly stepped into the shower.

"You have been so kind," he said letting the water run over him.

"Of course," Kale smiled to himself as he picked the clothing up off the floor. "I'm going to throw this stuff in the laundry let me know if you need anything okay?"

"I will," Jinnar spoke quietly. Kale walked out of the room and headed downstairs putting his clothing in the washing machine along with the hoodie Jinnar had been wearing. He found himself thinking of how he was going to explain this random person showing up with him to his friends and family although he did have a few days to make up reasons. Then his mind wandered to the fact that this man was clearly not human, there was no way he'd be able to let his friends see him it was just too dangerous for him. Kale started the washing machine and headed back upstairs. He could hear the water still running when he walked into his room to grab a t-shirt and shorts to throw on in the meantime. He sat on his bed briefly wondering again what the next few days would bring. He laid back on his bed and stayed quiet listening to the pattern of the water falling in the shower. He let him be for about twenty minutes before standing up and grabbing some clothing from his comfy clothing drawer. Jinnar was slightly bigger than him so he figured his loser fitting clothing should fit him. He picked out something that would be appropriate and left the room walking back into the shower.

"I brought you something to wear tonight if you want. The house gets a little cold at night sometimes. You're a little bigger than I am but these should be pretty comfortable." Jinnar was still letting the water wash over him though he kept his undergarment on. Kale noticed the staining in the tub from the dried blood that had come off his body. His eyes followed up Jinnar's body, even though his skin was oddly colored there was a beautiful body there. Kale hadn't found a man that got him like this in a long time. He met Jinnar's eyes, as he got out of the shower. Kale passed him a towel. "Dry off and put these on." Jinnar dried off quickly and started to put the clothing on… backwards. "It's on backwards." Kale took a step towards him; he wasn't sure how to explain to an alien how to put on human clothing and he smiled to himself at the thought of dressing him. "Turn it around?" He reached out and touched the base of the shirt tugging it slightly. "Just um…" he trailed off as he grabbed the shirt. Jinnar quickly got what he was saying and turned the shirt to fit the way he was trying to convey. "There that's it." Kale looked him up and down and patted him on the chest. "Come on you can sleep in the spare room down the hall. It used to be my dad's."

"Thank you," Jinnar spoke in a raspy tired voice. His voice was suddenly softer than Kale expected, he would even say he was timid. It seemed strange for a man of his stature to speak so softly. The accent was something he couldn't place. He looked at him and smiled.

"You're welcome," Jinnar's eyes diverted down and his brow cut with confusion before taking hold of the AI core. "Are you okay?" Jinnar stayed quiet and seemed suddenly distressed, Kale figured the night may have been starting to catch up with him. "Let's go." Kale patted him on his shoulder trying to offer reassurance and led him down the hall to the spare bedroom. "This should be good enough for now." They walked into the small room and Kale introduced the bed. "It's a little hard, it's pretty old but…"

"It will suffice," the AI spoke from Jinnar's hand. Kale watched as he placed the core on the end table next to the bed and sat down.

"I'll be at the other end of the hall if you need me." He walked out of the room and down the hallway to the bedroom he used when he visited. His eyes were heavy, and he was certainly ready for bed. It didn't take long for him to pass out when his head finally hit the pillow.

Sindar had been watching the human's memories for several hours now. Thanks to the implants she had developed and installed she was able to connect to the memory storage center in his brain and have the memories projected as a holographic image. At first, she had gotten flack from Baraketh for capturing the human and not the Prince but once she had explained her reasoning, he had come on board quickly. She had been watching them for awhile at her former lab before making her decision on which of them to take. She noticed the way the Prince would protect him and how the human seemed to offer some sort of control of the Daoran's emotional range. A control that he would now be with out but with his strong will to protect the human she knew he would come for him. It was only a matter of time. Baraketh had wanted to take a more brutish approach and just kill the Prince and to take the body but this method offered little satisfaction for her. For her brother Jinnar's sake, she needed to see this creature suffer and she knew that the human would be the easiest way to achieve this goal. She smiled to herself as she watched the humans first interaction with the Prince and then laughed out loud as she inserted a version of Jinnar to take his place. Her first attempt at the manipulation of his memories didn't take because it was far too different. Initially she would have liked to manipulate him into falling in love with her. Her calculations had been off almost resulting in a complete system failure, but once she rethought, she knew that the human would respond more to the loss of Jinnar than he would to an ongoing manipulation. She sighed in relief at the thought of not having to uphold the facade of what humans found attractive. Though it had been a while since she had found a creature, she thought worthy of pleasuring herself with.

"Sindar," said Kreloc, "We must halt the process for now, that humans' vital signs are approaching critical." Kreloc was one of her finest scientists, a Reptilian, his technique with augmentations was practically unmatched. He had been in charge of monitoring the human since he was brought to them.

"Stop the process keep him sedated. I will administer the supplementation myself," Sindar rose from the chair she had been observing from and headed to the lift that would take her down to the mnemonic data reader.

"Are you sure?" asked Kreloc. Normally a subordinate questioning her would result in a swift punishment but this time it was justified. She was always sure, but she had been mostly hands-off with this experiment until now. She had calculated, designed, and oversaw the installation of the spinal implants the mnemonic data reader needed to function. The fine-tuning process had taken more out of her then she wanted to admit. Calibrating the device to work on such a delicate mind was difficult even for her.

"Yes Kreloc, I am sure." She now spoke from the human's bedside. She took a vial of the supplement and filled the injector. The mnemonic reader had shut off and he was unconscious, she found the vein in his neck and injected the liquid. "Use the machine to back up his memories I would like to examine more of them while he rests," she said turning to examine the console showing his vitals.

"I would not recommend that without letting him rest for a while. I will also require time to configure the drive to allow it to copy that much data," Kreloc spoke from above her.

"How long will you need for the reconfiguring?" she asked not pleased that she would have to wait. During her experiments she was used to being able to do as she pleased when she pleased but this one would require patience.

"Two, maybe three hours." Sindar could hear the fear raising in Kreloc's voice as he spoke, he knew he was pushing the boundary of her patience. "I apologize, human physiology is much less resilient than the species we are used to working on. If we push him to hard, he may expire before we want him to."

"See that that doesn't happen Kreloc."

"Yes, Sindar."

"And now that we have started with this experiment on his memory center do not let him wake up. He must be kept under until the work is complete. If he wakes too soon it could cause too many inconsistencies with the memories, we are creating for him." Sindar took a step back and watched as two of her staff came and disconnected the human from the machine. They placed him in the stasis unit and began walking him back to his holding cell. Sindar walked with them she wanted to take a few minutes to examine him on her own to make sure he wouldn't die on her. The two staff members looked at her oddly, it was incredibly rare for her to go to the holding cells for any reason. She had the staff for a reason, and they all knew this. "I am going to examine him and make sure he will stay under as we need him to." Her subordinates nodded and averted their eyes to the task at hand. They took the human to the holding cell and sat him on the bed on his stomach.

"You may leave." Without speaking the two staff left the cell Sindar held up her mechanical arm, a multitool of her own design, and configured it to scan the implants. She also had to make sure the technology was holding up; this was the first time they had actually used the method on a full organic being. Examining the Daoran's required much less work, their implant made it remarkably simple to access their memories with only a small amount of tinkering and their nervous system was much more resilient. She passed her scanner over the human slowly taking the readings from both the implants and his body. His nervous system was intact but was showing severe signs of stress, she could tell that he was in severe pain from the scans. Normally the pain was something she didn't worry about she wasn't concerned with making the experiments themselves comfortable. She needed this one to eventually come to a point where it trusted her, once the process was complete, he would think that she was his savior. Sindar smiled to herself at the thought, she hadn't performed this type of experiment since she was a budding scientist. Usually her experiments did not require her trust, they were simply kept under control either with the neural inhibitors or implanted machinery. She stood up and walked to the replication system on the wall and input a series of codes that would result in her being able to create whatever she needed from the medical database. Normally the replication units in the cells were restricted to creating food at the request of the guards, they had been designed with voice activation for security reasons. "Four CC's of trioxyglerite. Ten CC's of butemeral." The combination would stop the pain and also help to repair his neural pathways. Something she hoped would become less necessary the more he was hooked up to the machine. She sat back beside him and administered the drugs to his neck before proceeding to scan the implants. It wasn't long before she finished finding that only a few of the couplings were out of alignment otherwise they had performed as expected.

"Sindar, we have received a communication from Baraketh," A voice came over the communication system. "He wishes to speak with you in private."

"Of course," Sindar took another quick reading as she stood to leave, the human was stabilized. "Send it to my private lab." She walked through the entrance way and took one last look back at the human. She could see his back heaving as he breathed heavily but seemed to remain stable. "Keep an eye on his vitals." She told the attending guard as she turned to leave. She used the portal generator on her multitool and took a portal to her lab. Her private lab had no access point other than to use a portal generator. This ensured that she had absolute privacy as only she had free access to the technology on her ship. It also made for a safe place of operation in the unlikely event that her vessel was brought under siege. She walked over to the communications console and tapped in a few commands. She could see that Baraketh was waiting for her to open a line of communication. She smiled to herself as she let him wait just a little bit longer before opening it. "Baraketh, to what do I owe the pleasure?" She smiled at him as she spoke as the viewer turned on, she could see the displeasure in his stern facial features. He wasn't used to dealing with those who were not under his strict command.

"Sindar I would like a report of how the first phase of your experiment has been proceeding," he said barely able to hide his disdain for having to wait. This was in fact the second phase of her project, the first being the installation of the technology, but she didn't expect one of a military mind to grasp her true process. "I hear you have just ended your first session." The disdain in his face changed to a smirk as he spoke.

"Why yes, we have just ended the first session." Sindar played nice for now. "How did you know? I was just down stabilizing the human's nervous system."

"It would suit you well to remember that I have officers placed on every Shironian ship in this quadrant." It enraged her that there was an officer on her ship that was reporting information back on her, but she knew that there was nothing to be done about it for now. As long as they didn't get in her way there was nothing to worry about. "I take it from your silence that there have been complications." She didn't realize how long she had let him linger.

"No, there were no complications, just minor setbacks. The machinery performs as expected but these humans are soft, their nervous system is not resilient, and the sessions will likely have to be shorter than originally planned or we may kill him before he outlives his usefulness," she explained.

"I wish you had of just gone with my wishes and captured the target instead. It is bad enough that we lost the letracite processing facility and have yet to find a way to keep going with the new weapons production, but this plan of yours is too convoluted. If it should fail then we are no closer to accomplishing our goals," Baraketh scolded.

"I remind you I lost my brother to this crusade of yours. For that I will not fail. But your goals remain your own." Sindar didn't need to be reminded of the loss of her lab, so much of her work had been lost just when she was perfecting a way to bring the Daoran miners to peak efficiency.

"Enough, were you able to find any information on the Daoran City Ship? It is paramount that we find it and destroy it." Baraketh was looking to move on from the grand standing and she welcomed it.

"No, we were not able to go that far ahead yet, I've been looking back at the core of their relationship so that I will be able to use it against the target. When he comes for the human, and he will, I want to be able to break him. Then you will have what you want," she paused and Baraketh stayed silent clearly not happy with anything she was saying. "I have started the process of the memory alteration the first session was successful."

"Once the human is on our side how will this benefit us? They do not sound like they would be useful in combat."

"That is not entirely true, this human has demonstrated that it is capable in combat. Where humans lack in physical prowess they seem to make up for it in intelligence and critical thinking. I observed this when they attacked the asteroid laboratory."

"Do you have an ETA on when the process will be complete?" Baraketh sat back in his seat and adjusted himself.

"At least another month unless I can figure out a way to make it easier on the human's nervous system. I will keep you updated." Sindar closed the communication and walked to her chemistry table she had enough of Baraketh's criticism of her work. It was clear he needed her to do this whereas his last attempt to capture the Prince failed. Next time they spoke she would remind him of that. She looked around at all the different vials and storage units, she knew that there must be something there she could use to make the process easier. The only problem is that she only had one test subject and she couldn't afford to make any mistakes with it. "Well then, I'll just have to find more." She opened a communication to the command center of the ship. "Navigation set a course for the Sol system." Sindar had silently mined a significant amount of data from the Daoran AI while they were in proximity to the ship, she had taken the human from. Mostly junk data, but if she had been more aggressive it would have triggered its defenses and given away their position too readily. The data she had collected contained the whereabouts of the star system the humans dwelled in. The planet where her brother met his demise. "You will find the coordinates for it in the database we mined from that AI. Get us there… quickly."

"Yes Sindar." The navigation officer responded and Sindar could suddenly feel that the ship was moving to faster than light speeds. Her ship was of her own design, favouring speed and stealth over heavy weaponry and defenses. She wouldn't last long in a fire fight but generally she never needed to. Sindar stood and opened an access portal taking her to her private chamber. As the portal closed behind her the lights flickered to life and she walked to the regeneration unit in the corner. She no longer required sleep thanks to her augmentations, but the very same augments required a brief period of regeneration every week. Aside from her cybernetic arm she had grafted several implants to her brain to keep her alert and to improve her reflexes in combat. She had also undergone a process of threading her bones with a carbon polymer making them incredibly damage resistant and like all the Shirona Arktora the pain centers in her brain had been lightly numbed. This had its obvious applications, her brother Jinnar had taken a more extreme procedure and had the pain receptors in his body completely burned off. His reputation as the unfeeling warrior was well earned. Sindar had been responsible for the procedures that turned him into the killing machine he became, and ultimately got him killed. It was what he wanted. Sindar stepped into the regeneration unit and activated the machine. She could feel the energy pulse through her body, a warm vibration would pass over her body several times before the process would complete within the hour. She had hoped that by that time she would be able to proceed with the experiment.

Kale opened his eyes to a sound from somewhere in the room, he sat up in his bed expecting to see that the dog had gotten up on the bed but Rhodie was nowhere to be seen. He reached for his phone that was sitting on the small table by the bed and it lit up as he touched it. A couple of text messages were waiting for him from Miranda, but he ignored them. The clock read three am as he picked it up, he turned on the flashlight feature and shone it around the room. Jinnar was standing in the window looking out into the night, he stayed silent, Kale jumped slightly from the startle of having the man standing in his room. Kale pointed the light down on the bed so he wouldn't blind Jinnar but could see that he was distraught. Kale turned and put his feet on the ground Jinnar looked in his direction but for the most part stayed silent.

"Are you… okay?" Kale spoke slow and tried to project comfort in his voice as he was unsure what else he could say.

"I want you … to see." Jinnar's voice shook as he spoke, Kale was starting to think something was seriously wrong. He stood from the bed tossing the blankets to the side, he stood next to Jinnar and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. The last few days they had been focused on Jinnar's physical recovery and neither Jinnar nor the AI would tell him what they had been through to bring them to Earth. Jinnar took Kale's hand and led him out of the room, they went downstairs all the way to the basement.

"What do you want me to see?" he asked confused that Jinnar had taken him to the basement. "Why are we in the basement?" Jinnar opened his other hand to reveal the AI core it began to float and moved to the center of the open basement. The lenses on its side began to flicker and a green beam began to scan the area around them.

"Please be aware that what is about to happen is a simulation. It cannot hurt you, though to you it will appear very real," said the AI. Kale swallowed hard and nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Do not be scared," whispered Jinnar.

"I'm not." Jinnar still held Kale's hand rather tightly, Kale could tell that he was sweating his voice still trembling slightly. Bright lights began to shimmer from all four of the lenses on the AI core and their surroundings changed to that of a small damaged home with an unfamiliar architecture. Kale was shocked at the realism of the projection. What he was seeing solidified the fact that Jinnar was from a technologically advanced race that had mastered not only space travel but holographics. Everything in the home was still even through there appeared to be a fire burning it was oddly still for fire.

"It is not active yet. Jinnar are you sure you want him to see this?" asked the AI. Jinnar stayed quiet and shook his head. Kale felt his hand beginning to shake as a woman and four small children populated around them. They already appeared to be running away from something that wasn't yet visible. Kale jumped as the simulation started moving and taking place around him. The women crashed over a nearby table as she scrambled to run.

"Jinnar we must run he's found us!" she cried out. Kale watched as a being appeared in the doorway in a full body suit. Kale could tell at how the suit clung to his body that it was male, the violet and silver suit seemed to glisten from the light casted by the fire that burned to their left.

"You will not get away this time old women." As it spoke it bounded across the room and was shortly on top of the women and it wasn't long before there was a large blade stuck through her chest. The children screamed and scattered, and the women reached for Jinnar as she fell. The being reached for the nearest child getting her by the clothing. Jinnar screamed and jumped toward the being stopping it from getting a good grip on the child.

"Run!" Jinnar called as he took to combat with the being. Jinnar was dressed in a red and black body armor that seemed quite bulky. Kale watched as he drew a weapon and fired at the intruder. An energy weapon that fired a red blast from the muzzle. The blast collided and caused the intruder to recoil from the fire power, he however recovered quickly and then bounded at Jinnar quickly knocking the weapon from his hand. Jinnar rolled backwards and threw the attacker through the wall he stood up quickly and took to attacking him. The children managed to get out of the room.

"You cannot protect them forever!"

"Kershala what do you want from us why can't you just let my family in peace?" The name was familiar to Kale and suddenly the feeling of absolute fear came over him to the point he was almost frozen in place. "Please let us go!" A dagger formed in each of Kershala's hands seemingly from nowhere when he lunged at Jinnar. Jinnar deflected the attacks with his wrist guards but Kale could tell as he watched he was slowing down. It was clear that he had been caught off guard by the attack. Kale knew that Jinnar was strong but this being seemed to be extremely powerful and was clearly ready for the attack. Jinnar deflected one last dagger swipe when Kershala thrust an empty hand forward, on impact a burst of energy seemed to come from his fist and Jinnar was knocked off balance. Jinnar's chest piece shattered from the impact and Kershala thrust his other dagger violently forward into his side causing the wound he had found him with. Kershala moved in close still holding the dagger in the wound. Jinnar cried out in pain as he twisted the weapon sideways.

"I will be back to finish you, once I am done with them," he hissed, a deviousness in his voice that Kale had never heard in anyone before. He stood up quickly and pulled the dagger with him, Jinnar fell to the floor.

"No, please," Jinnar spoke through gasps, "take me in their stead! I will do anything."

"There's nothing you can do to stop this!" Kershala walked quickly out of view presumably to go after the children. Kale watched in horror, his heart wrenched as he watched Jinnar try to pull himself to his feet and fail. Kale could feel the tears coming to his eyes as he watched Jinnar crawl over to his mother's body. She lay face down on the floor as he got in close and touched her face. Her eyes opened at his touch and as they locked eyes, they both began crying.

"The children…" she cried, "he will kill them."

"I'm sorry mother, I cannot stop him, I am not strong enough," he cried.

"It is okay my son." Jinnar's mother brought a gentle hand up to his face and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I want you to run." She spoke slowly, it was clear she didn't have much time left. "I need to know that at least one of my children made it." There was a sudden shrill cry from somewhere in the building, Kale could tell that it was one of the children by the women's reaction.

"Mother I cannot leave you all to the mercy of this monster." The women pulled herself in closer to Jinnar as he spoke. Kale could see the blue blood puddling around her, she had to be close to expiring. She wrapped her arm around his neck and rested her head close to him. Kale could see them both jolting as they cried together, he couldn't believe how Jinnar hadn't been completely destroyed by this event and wondered how he must feel watching it unfold in front of them.

"Go, you must," she whispered, and Kale could tell she breathed her last breath just as they heard another of the children scream out in pain. Jinnar laid on the floor with his mother's arm over his neck crying for several minutes before finally attempting to move. He rose slowly to his feet holding his hand over the wound in his side. The blood ran down his body and over the armor he wore. He grabbed his weapon from the floor and limped to the doorway. Suddenly the setting of the hologram changed to that of outside the building. The planet they were on seemed to be desert like in nature there were strange exceptionally large rock structures surrounded the building on all sides. The plans that littered the ground reacted beneath Kale's feet they were strange off orange and yellow colors, the dirt seemed to be a deep blue color. He looked up at the sky and could see two vast moons in the sky. It looked as though it was daytime, but the sky matched the sand in color, it was so vibrant it was almost hard to look at. Kale figured that this must have been Jinnar's home planet. Jinnar exited the building through an automated door and staggered through the doorway. He was moving as fast as he could with the wound, Kale watched as he almost fell forward.

"You know you cannot hide from me," Kershala's voice seemed to be coming from all around him, "My implant shows me exactly where you are." Another scream from inside the building and it was obvious that all the children were now dead. "Just like I found all of them!" Jinnar gripped the weapon in his hand as he seemed to be regaining his composure. Kale figured either adrenaline was hitting him, or he had gotten used to the pain from the wound and his fear was helping him ignore it.

"I will give justice to your memories I swear," Jinnar snarled as he ran. There was a crashing sound behind him as Kershala knocked out the wall of the building with the same blast he used on Jinnar. At the sound Jinnar reacted and swung around opening fire with his weapon several energy pulses collided with Kershala. Several others seemed to miss their target, but the building began exploding and falling around Kershala. Smoke and fire were all that was left of the building as Jinnar continued to fire rapidly at the area Kershala had appeared from. There were several explosions before the building had completely collapsed. Jinnar stood staring at what he had done with tears in his eyes and gasping for air. Only seconds had passed before he turned to run in a seemingly random direction. He came to a rock face and held up his wrist, he tapped a sequence into a holographic panel and a portal opened. He stepped through it and was in some kind of hangar. The ship he had crashed on earth in was only a few feet from him. He walked up to it still favoring his wound and the door opened automatically. "Is the pod operational?"

"Yes, Jinnar. Though it is heavily damaged from combat," said the AI. "It will fly." Jinnar stepped into the pod and the door closed behind him. "I am detecting extreme trauma to your organs. The blood loss is extreme."

"I will be fine. Prepare to launch the pod." Jinnar took a seat in the pilot's chair as the ship began to come to life. It wasn't long before the pod was lifting into the air and blasting out of the atmosphere. Normally Kale would be enamored with the whole event as the tiny ship blasted toward the sky and through the clouds but with what he had just witnessed he was grief stricken and couldn't find any joy in what was happening around him. As the ship entered orbit it shook violently. "What was that?" Jinnar was clearly succumbing to his injuries now that he had seemingly escaped, and the adrenaline had calmed down. Blood still ran from his wound. Another ship appeared in front of them and opened fire. A vibrant purple energy weapon seemed to collide with the ship, and it shook all over.

"Kershala has made it back to his ship, Jinnar we must defend ourselves." Kale watched as Jinnar seemed to be struggling to stay conscious his head wobbled about as the vessel shook. "Jinnar! We must go!"

"I, I can't do it… to weak." It was amazing to watch Jinnar go from combat ready, to passing out in a few minutes, a testament to how strong he truly was given the circumstances.

"Initiating an untraceable jump." Straps came from the pilot's chair and locked around Jinnar at his shoulders holding him in place. There was a sound around them as the ship's engines began to engage, one more blast shook the ship before it jumped into faster than light speeds. Kale watched as Jinnar fell unconscious only seconds after the jump had taken place. "Our destination is the Sol system; we will arrive in approximately four hours." The surroundings changed to that of the crash site Kale had found Jinnar at. The ship crashed to the ground and Jinnar was flung through the front window Kale watched as he was flung across the field rolling and tumbling. His armor came lose and was left along the trail he tumbled across before he landed in the condition Kale had found him in. The room slowly began to change back to the basement as the hologram faded away. Kale looked at Jinnar who was still holding his hand he could feel the tears streaking his face after what he had witnessed. Jinnar's expression was one of pain at having relived the memories so vividly.

"I am so sorry Jinnar," said Kale slowly. "I had no idea." Kale felt weakness flush over him as he succumb to both of their emotions. They dropped to the floor and Kale put his arms around Jinnar who sniffled as he pulled him in.

"I can still feel her hand on my face…" he cried. "I can still hear their voices." Kale instantly recalled the sound of the children screaming he could never imagine being part of such a scenario. He could hardly grasp what Jinnar was dealing with as he cried into Kale's shoulder. "He's still out there and he's after me Kale, I don't know what to do. My sister Sindar, is the only one who could possibly save me now and I have no way of reaching her."

"Why is he after you Jinnar?" asked Kale.

"He is maniacal, he will kill any Shironian he can get his hands on. He simply believes my people do not have a right to exist. My family is among the most influential of my people, with us dead the others will lose their will to fight." The mention of word Shironian gave Kale a headache and suddenly the coldness of the basement floor felt very wrong, he grabbed his head standing up quickly before falling backwards again the pain quickly overwhelming him. "What's wrong Kale?" Jinnar reached out and touched his forearm.

"What triggered the rejection?" A women's voice spoke clearly from somewhere beyond him.

"I am sorry Sindar, the instability started as the word Shironian was brought up, and I think the setting is too different." Another voice from somewhere Kale felt was above him, he didn't really recognize either of the voices.

"Well go back and redo it, reinitialize the uplink. I'll make sure he doesn't wake up!"

"I'm sorry Kale are you okay?" asked Jinnar. Kale shook his head and laid back on the bed he was suddenly overcome with fear and sadness. The memory Jinnar had shown him via the AI ability to link them through their hands had brought on the emotions he thought Jinnar must have felt at the time. "Emotional transference is a side effect sometimes, but it is usually not this strong with others of my kind," Jinnar explained.

"I'm sorry, Jinnar. What a terrible thing to go through." They were both silent for a few seconds Kale looked down at their hands then back to Jinnar's face. He seemed to have calmed down, but Kale could tell the fear hadn't left him yet.

"Do you," Jinnar paused and looked away as if embarrassed he exhaled, "mind if I stay in here tonight. I don't want to be alone." Jinnar spoke softly Kale hesitated. "I can sleep on the floor." Kale's hesitation was rooted in his attraction for this man, he had no idea if the physical contact was just how his people were with each other, but he felt that the feeling was shared, and he didn't want to be inappropriate.

"It's okay, you can stay in here." Kale watched as Jinnar crawled into bed on the opposite side from where he slept. A few seconds later he followed him crawling under the blankets. Kale laid his head on his pillow and it wasn't long after he felt Jinnar shift toward him and put his arm around him.

"Thank you, Kale." Kale smiled to himself as he felt Jinnar's breath at the back of his neck, he turned to face him and rested a hand on his cheek. He could see Jinnar's eyes looking back at him in the moonlight. Jinnar brought a hand up and rested it on his neck before nuzzling Kale's forehead with his. Kale felt significantly better very quickly. The emotional transference didn't seem to last exceedingly long, it had been heartbreaking, but it was over now. He closed his eyes and pulled Jinnar in closer falling asleep in each other's arms.

Sindar finished up tending to the human's implants. The most recent session they had performed with the mnemonic data reader was successful though she still hadn't been able to record the data she wanted. They had found that the process would place too much strain on his nervous system. The recording process would pass far too much data through his brain all at once. A problem she had hoped to remedy in the coming days as they had arrived at earth within the last few hours. They had positioned themselves behind the planets moon to be sure to avoid detection or visual contact. As they arrived, they began probing their world wide web for information on the species physiology. So far what they found seemed to be quite primitive, she knew the humans weren't space faring, but it seemed as though they were almost in a technological dark age compared to most other species that inhabited planets of similar age. From the little bit of information she had gathered they appeared to be too focused on fighting each other. Sindar opened a portal to take herself to the command center of her ship, she stepped through and was standing in front of the viewscreen. Currently the planet itself was displayed. Rukon, a fellow wraith and her most trusted colleague, sat at the main sensor station engulfed in his work pawing over the data they were taking from both the uplink to the planets media and the sensor sweeps.

"Have you found anything useful?" asked Sindar as she approached his station.

"Yes, Sindar. Nothing on our current objective," said Rukon, Sindar let out a bit of a frustrated sigh before letting him continue on, "But I have found that this planet has a good deal of natural resources that the empire could make good use of. Shall I mark it for harvesting at a later date?" Sindar looked at Rukon's console then back to the viewscreen. The planet was at least seventy percent covered in water and that alone made it valuable.

"Mark it, but do not transmit the information to the Empire just yet. As you know they aren't known for their slothfulness when it comes to resource gathering. Who knows how long we will be here?"

"Yes Sindar." Rukon focused back on the task in front of him, Sindar headed to her command chair and sat down.

"Transfer anything relevant to my readout," she ordered. "We should have an easy time collecting data if we use the multiphasic cloaking system. They will never be able to detect us and even if they do, they will not have the means to stop us." Sindar looked back at Rukon who smiled back at her, his thirst for knowledge rivaled her own and he thoroughly enjoyed uninhibited science. The multiphasic cloak was something that they had created together years ago and had since used it to perform many experiments together. The technology would shift them and their equipment slightly out of phase of normal space and allow them to perform their experiment with no resistance from the local populous. "Find a concentrated area of population and then go prep the drop pod."

"I think I've already found a place." Rukon smiled and gestured for Sindar to look at her readout. "It's a medical facility, most likely an asylum of sorts. The patients seem to be in varying states of mental disarray. This is going to be easy."

"Even if the cloak fails, there's a good chance the staff would disregard any description of us as hallucinations." Rukon's smile made sense to her now she grinned back to him.

"I will go prep the pod." Rukon left his console and the command center.

"Kreloc have my equipment brought down to the pod from my quarters." Sindar stood from her seat knowing that the pod would be ready soon she would start down to the ship.

"Of course, Sindar, will I be joining you on this expedition or will it just be you and Rukon?" asked Kreloc from his station. Sindar smiled at him before heading for the door that would take her from the command center.

"Your expertise is needed here, in my absence I need you to maintain the human's health," she explained. "You must make sure the implants are kept stable and that he is kept unconscious as we have been doing."

"I will see to it that your equipment is brought down to the pod." Kreloc nodded and tapped away at his console. He would send a crew member to get the equipment for her and meet her at the launch bay. She exited the command center and stepped into the lift that would take her up to the pod. The ship would remain hidden behind the moon as they took the pod down to the surface and began performing tests on the humans at the facility. She had to find a neural agent that would keep the pathways from degrading from over extension. Using her equipment, she would be able to simulate the interaction with the mnemonic data reader that the human was being exposed to and that would help her collect the data she'd need. It wasn't long before the lift door opened, and she was in the launch bay. The pod had been moved to the center of the room, and she could see Rukon from the viewer in the front of it as he was setting up the consoles. The small two-person pod was designed for scientific function, it had a large storage area to bring along equipment or the capacity to carry a small science crew, whichever the situation called for. The multiphasic cloaking device was positioned on top of the pod, they would set it down on top of the building they would be operating out of and the cloak would affect them if they were in range. It would only need to be set to their physiology to avoid any complications. Sindar watched one of her crew loading her equipment into the pod as she approached. Kreloc's efficiency always impressed her. The crewman, a younger humanoid, greeted her as she approached before she walked up the ramp into the pod.

"The pod itself is set we will take off once they finish loading the equipment," said Rukon. Sindar sat down in the seat beside him and ran her hands over the console. Activating the sensors and testing that the cloak would operate as expected.

"All systems seem to be operating as expected," said Sindar turning her chair to face the back of the pod. She watched as the crewman dropped the last crate of equipment before exiting the pod, the cargo hatch closing as he stepped off. "Clear us to exit and make sure to activate the cloak once we clear the ship."

"Of course. Wouldn't want the humans to see us with their telescopes," sarcasm dripped from Rukon's comment and Sindar cracked a smile meeting his as he sat down next to her at the pilots console. The exit hatch to the ship opened as the pod's engines powered and it wasn't long before they were lifting off and passing through the forcefield that stopped the vacuum of space from entering the ship. The pod jolted slightly as it left the gravity field of the ship itself and Rukon engaged the cloaking device.

"Were we able to determine through sensor readings how many subjects we will be dealing with?" asked Sindar pawing over the information readout on her console.

"From what I can tell there are at least one hundred patients in the facilities care. It would seem they have a staff of over two hundred consisting of medical personnel, security staff and sanitation workers."

"Good, if we run out of test subjects, we will use the staff." Rukon smiled over at her. The little pod was incredibly quick, and it wasn't long before they were entering earth's atmosphere. The ship jolted as it encountered the atmosphere but as soon as the stabilizers adjusted you could barely tell they were in an atmosphere. They had entered in the area just above the hospital it was nighttime so there was little activity in the area. Sindar could see through the viewer that the small town was sparsely lit and that the facility they were heading for was the largest building in the area. They set down on the rooftop with barely a sound and Sindar activated the multiphasic cloak extending it around the entirety of the building that would become their work area. "Activate your receiver," Sindar instructed. The receiver was a portable device that would identify who the cloak would phase shift, Sindar's was built into her arm but everyone else would need to remember to activate an individual unit. "And remember you have a four-hour limit before the battery will need to recharge you have to be back here before it resets." This hindrance that only affected the portable units Sindar's would draw power from her implanted technology.

"Of course, this isn't my first time remember," Rukon attached the receiver to his uniform and activated it, causing him to disappear before her.

"Make sure you adjust to the proper frequency," she said adjusting her own unit before activating it. As she activated it her body was phase shifted by the device. A strange sensation would flush over the body as it crossed the threshold. Most would also get a slight dizziness at first but Sindar had become quite used to it. She was able to see Rukon again who was now standing in front of her. They wouldn't be able to talk through normal means since they were slightly out of phase even with each other so the receivers would act as a communications device as well. She pressed the activation on her upper arm. "Can you hear me okay?" she asked.

"Yes." Rukon nodded and headed to the crates of equipment that they would use.

"Good then let's start attaching the neural activators to the patients." Sindar joined Rukon at the crates, they opened the nearest one and took a casing from it. The neural activators would be what she would use to simulate the conditions generated by the mnemonic device and the associated implants. As she simulated the experiment, she would then use varying solutions and chemicals to determine a course of treatment based on the reactions of those tested on. They each picked up a case and walked to the exit of the pod. The cloaking device took several scans of the area to determine its make-up. These scans would prevent them from phasing through the floor of the work area and would also let them pass through walls and doors uninhibited. They stepped down onto the rook Sindar stood for a second to take in the night, she held her arm up and ran several scans of the area around them. The wind was blowing, and the smell of the humans was strong in the air something she had become accustomed to from being around Kale and performing maintenance on him. The air was particularly cold she could tell it was in winter cycle of the western landmass snow covered the ground and the rooftop they had landed on. She looked at Rukon who had activated the thermal grid of his uniform and walked toward the rooftop entrance they would use to get in. Sindar did the same, Shironians and wraith in particular, didn't fare well in the colder weather, she followed him in to get started.

As they entered the building passing through the door, they walked down a stairwell and came out onto the top floor. The building was only dimly lit by what was likely emergency lighting highlighting the exits and entrances in a red hue. The floors were tiled with sterile colored ceramic. the walls were a composite materiel of sand, gravel, limestone, and clay and were colored an off white with oil-based coloring. Sindar hadn't seen this type of architecture in a long time, most intelligent species they encountered would use more refined metals in construction.

"I will look for a place to set up operations while you get started on implanting the subjects," said Sindar directing Rukon to go into the first of twenty-five rooms that line both sides of the wall. She could see a stairwell at the other end of the hallway, she would need an open area to set up her equipment. Rukon nodded before heading through the wall into the first room. Sindar wanted to hurry since it was the middle of the night, it would be easier to inject the equipment into the subjects while they slept. She quickly took a scan of the building again as she walked to get the layout using her arm tool. A holographic image was projected on her arm as she walked, she could see that there were open areas two floors below her. As she got there, she would deploy the teleporter to set up the rest of the equipment needed for the experiment to continue. She headed down the stairwell and came to her destination, she walked into the open area she had found to find that it was a food dispensary of sorts. A counter along the wall that ran the length of the wall, a glass shield that separated the prep area from the eating area. Several tables were set up throughout the room that would accommodate the patients as they ate. Sindar walked to the corner of the room where there was nothing blocking and sat her case down on the floor. Using her scanner, she programmed the pods teleporter designating a spot for each apparatus that would form her monitoring station. Once everything had been programmed, she activated the teleporter and in a flash of light everything was put in its place. Sindar calibrated the portable lab with her multitool computer and brought everything to life, various holographic images and monitoring units were already displaying. She was already starting to get readings from the implants that Rukon had installed. Satisfied that everything was working the way it was intended and that they taking a few more readings to verify the phasing was working properly, Sindar left to begin implanting the test subjects.

"Do you wish to start putting the implants into the staff right away?" Rukon's voice came over her communication device. "I've had a couple of opportunities already."

"Take the opportunity if it presents itself, but our primary subjects are the patients," she answered.

"Noted." Sindar left the room through the main doors and as she exited through the other side, she came face to face with a member of the security staff. He seemed to see her at first as he paused when she stepped through, she checked her scanner to make sure the phase shift was working correctly. A rush of energy hit her as her defensive instincts kicked in but sure enough the field was stable, and the guard turned to look down the hall.

"Hey Jimmy!" he called, "You see that light flicker in the cafeteria or am I just seeing things after my third coffee?" Sindar stepped to the side and scanned the man quickly.

"I didn't see nothing! Man, you've had like four cups tonight, maybe you should slow down. Your heart's gonna explode or something." Another man stepped into view at the end of the hall and walked toward his colleague.

"Eh, that's an old wives' tale. Musta just been a streetlight though, nothings in there." Sindar figured he must have seen the light from the teleporter as it ended.

"Maybe it was a ghost," said the other man as he came trudging up to them.

"You're an idiot, there's no such thing as ghosts. Let's get back to the rounds." The two proceeded down the hallway with their backs to Sindar. She took two of the implants and loaded it into the injector before administering one to each of the two men. Neither of them was really an ideal candidate for the current experiment given their overweight state but they may yet have been useful, she had developed some neural solvents that hadn't yet been tested.

Kale had finished gassing up the car, they had stopped on the drive back to the city to fill up. It was around nine thirty at night and they were almost there. He had forgotten to fill the car before they left town because he didn't want anyone to see Jinnar who sat in the car with a hoodie up to conceal his alien features. Kale couldn't bear the thought of what might happen to him if they caught him, he'd likely be in for a good deal of testing. He used his debit card to pay at the pump before getting back into the car and starting the engine. The AI sat in the cup holder, it emitted an eerie blue light, lighting up the car dash slightly. Kale had gotten extremely close to Jinnar in the short time since he had found him that night. They had made their way back to his crash site only a night ago and found an experimental armor he had been working on before they left. Unfortunately, someone had seen them and while the AI had done it's best to stifle any pictures that were posted online of Jinnar Kale had decided it best to get out of town. For the most part they had driven in silence Kale could tell that Jinnar was admiring the scenery before it had gotten dark, it was quite impressive. The trip was basically a road through a sea of trees something that Kale had come to ignore mostly after seeing it so much. Jinnar shifted in his seat and looked over at him and Kale felt his heart start to race slightly.

"Can I ask you a weird question?" asked Kale.

"Of course you can."

"Are you paired with anyone else?" Kale already regretted the way he had worded the question.

"Are you asking if I have a mate?" asked Jinnar pointedly.

"Um, yeah I guess." Kale could feel that he was blushing, he was thankful for the darkness of the night.

"I do not, I have never…" Jinnar paused and looked at Kale who was glancing between him and the road. "I have never had the chance."

"How does your culture feel about two men, um, mating. Man, I sound like a dork right now," Kale laughed.

"Is it such a thing strange to you?" he asked.

"It's certainly not strange to me, but some humans not only find it strange but detest it," Kale didn't really know how to process the relief he was feeling so he just kept talking, "Some people would even kill someone for it…"

"That is sad. I cannot imagine hating someone for something so trivial as who they love."

"Have your people always been accepting of it?"

"It has always just been part of our society, there was nothing to accept," said Jinnar. Kale stayed silent for a few minutes as he drove. Not sure how to process what he was feeling. It had been so long since he had fallen for a man that he wasn't sure if he was miss reading the signals or not.

"I like you," Jinnar and Kale both spoke pretty much at the same time.

"I like you a lot," said Kale. Jinnar smiled at him and reached over taking Kale's hand that rested on the armrest between them.

"I'm glad you feel this way Kale. My experience in this is limited. I wasn't sure I was reading you correctly," explained Jinnar. The AI that had been quiet for most of the drive suddenly turned to a red color and hovered up from where it had been sitting.

"Under attack, viral hacking attempt in … proogggrreesss…." Jinnar grabbed the AI from where it hovered.

"What the hell's wrong with it?" asked Kale trying not to panic.

"Itssss him…" Suddenly a form dropped down on the hood of the car on the passenger side and thrust a hand through the windshield. Kale reacted instinctively and slammed on the breaks thankfully there was nothing behind him. "Sssellf deesstructtt in prroogrrress." The body went flying ahead of them but landed on its feet. Kale watched as Jinnar jumped from the vehicle through the windshield and threw the AI core up into the air where it exploded in a flash of light and energy. Kale managed to crawl out of the car as debris from the core floated down all around them.

"I have finally found you, worthless pishar!" The figure hollered as it walked toward them.

"Jinnar, how did he find you?" asked Kale getting to his feet.

"I do not know but I will protect you." Kale watched as Jinnar slapped the experimental armor they had found onto one of his arms. As he did several panels folded from the small icon to cover over his body, it reflected the stars above them as it solidified itself. Now that Kale had a chance to take in what he was seeing he recognized the figure as Kershala the man that had attacked Jinnar in the memory he had seen. Kale wasn't sure how they were going to escape this time as Jinnar took to sparing with him. They didn't have any of the weapons that Jinnar had when he had been attacked on the planet. Kale looked around for something to arm himself with as Jinnar fought Kershala hoping he'd find something worth using. The sounds of their respective armors cracking together with each hit echoing through the night air.

"You will not get away this time," said Kershala. Kale found it strange that he could understand him but decided not to question it for now. Jinnar cried out in pain and Kale looked over just in time to see him being held in the air briefly and slammed to the ground.

"Jinnar!" Kale got himself to his feet and was ready to charge in when Jinnar jumped back to his feet and into the air. Kershala quickly jumped to meet him but was smacked down by Jinnar, he hit the ground and landed on all fours. Jinnar brought both fists down on him just as he looked up, there was a burst of energy from Jinnar's fists that seemed to enforce the blow. Kale could hear Kershala laughing just before Jinnar was grabbed and slammed into the pavement.

"You are certainly going to have to try harder than that, but please I do enjoy your effort." Kershala laughed as he stood over Jinnar who seemed to be struggling to get up. Kale could see that his armor was damaged from combat and that it seemed to be losing its integrity, the helmet had partially fallen away. "Is that really all you have got?" As Jinnar looked up at him Kershala slammed him in the face multiple times.

"No!" Kale mustered up everything in him and ran at Kershala slamming into him in a heavy weighted body check. He managed to knock Kershala off balance and he jumped back. Kale looked at Jinnar who was struggling to get to his feet.

"This was not your fight human, but if you wish to die for this demon. I guess I have no choice." Before Kale could even react Kershala was on him with his hand around his neck. Kershala easily lifted him into the air, Kale had both hands on Kershala's arm to hold his body weight and not snap his neck. "Why do you want to die for this creature?" Kale struggled to keep himself up when he started kicking Kershala with everything he had left in him.

"Kershala stop! Leave him alone." Jinnar had managed to get to his feet and attacked Kershala, Kale could tell he was giving his all as he was thrown to the side. He scuffed across the ground the pain of Kershala's grip still in his neck. He took to coughing from the lack of breath still able to hear Jinnar and Kershala fighting. He crawled his way back to the car and put himself into the driver's seat. The engine had quit, and Kale leaned back in the seat sure that the end of his life was inching ever closer. Jinnar was strong but Kershala seemed to be on a different level whatever he was, he was fast and had a tactical mind with the strength to back it up. Kale could hear a vehicle approaching and almost hoped whomever it was wouldn't stop because it would likely mean they'd die as well. Kale watched helplessly as Kershala bashed Jinnar into the side of the vehicle, the whole car shook, and Kale could see again that the armor Jinnar was wearing had weakened. He was sure he could see an open wound on Jinnar's leg in the light. Jinnar sat against the side of the car, Kershala had thrown him against it and was walking toward him.

"Do you have anything you would like me to tell your sister? Once I am done with you, she is the next who must be dealt with," said Kershala stepping slowly toward him. Kale watched as a dagger formed from seemingly nothing in Kershala's hand.

"You will never get my sister, she is the best of us," Jinnar struggled to get the words out as he rose slowly to his feet. "She will outsmart you!" Kale could only hear the car getting closer the headlights visible he was sure he could see what Jinnar was doing.

"I am the best of my people, in the end the Daora will prevail!"

"We will stop you." Jinnar rushed Kershala, Kale could tell this was everything he had in him as he ran at him and they locked arms. Jinnar kept pushing and just in time, managed to get him to the road when the car collided with Kershala, Jinnar having been able to get out of the way just in time. The driver was thrown from the vehicle and Kershala had crashed into the rockface that lie just beyond the ditch to the highway. Kale watched and waited to see if he moved and when he didn't, he knew they were safe at least for now. "Kale!" Jinnar rushed over to him his body armor retracting as he walked and knelt beside him. "Are you okay?" he asked as he rubbed his hand around on Kale's neck where Kershala had held him.

"I think I'm okay. Nothing is broken, little bruised up maybe." Kale sat forward and put his feet to the floor. "Do you think that killed him?" Jinnar looked over at Kershala's body lying there still at the base of the rock structure.

"No, he will likely recover shortly," said Jinnar seeming almost distant as he stared at the body.

"Dammit," Kale looked at the body and then at Jinnar, he could tell he was panicking, his breathing was erratic, and his hands were clammy on Kale's skin. "What do we do? How can we make him leave you alone?"

"He will never leave until he kills me, or I kill him," explained Jinnar.

"Then let's kill him he's out now, we must be able to do something to him." Kale started to stand up despite his injury's and Jinnar stopped him.

"I don't have the means here, his suit, it will stop us from being able to truly harm him, it would take forever."

"Then we run let's go." Kale looked at his car and was fairly sure it was totaled. There was smoke billowing out from under the hood of the car. He stood up and went to walk to the other vehicle that had crashed. It didn't appear to have any major damage, as he walked past Jinnar he grabbed him by the arm. Kale looked back at him. "What's wrong?" Kale could see a look in his eyes he had never seen before.

"Kale you heard what he said, he was only going to kill you because you were with me." Jinnar looked up at him, Kale could tell his eyes were damp. "You can get in that vehicle and go; I want you to live."

"What? No. I'm not going to just leave you here to die." Kale was horrified that Jinnar thought he would just leave him like that.

"Kale you have to, what if I can't stop him next time?" Jinnar took Kale's hands and held them to his heart. "I love you; I can't let something happen to you like what happened to my family. I cannot bear the thought. Please…"

"I love you, and I'm not going anywhere. I don't care if we have to run for the rest of our lives. Now let's go!" Kale pulled Jinnar to his feet and the two of them went to the car that had crashed. Kale looked inside, the car was still running and the radio was playing. He looked back at Jinnar. "Stay here." Kale walked over to where the driver had been thrown to, he had to see if they were alive. He knelt beside the body, that of an elderly man, Kale felt bad, but it was clear that he was dead and had probably died on impact having been thrown through the glass. Once he confirmed his suspicions, he quickly made his way to the car, Jinnar had gotten in the passenger side of the vehicle and waited patiently. Kale jumped in the driver's seat and began to pull out. "Driver's dead, we should get back to my apartment, at least in the city he won't be able to find us easily."

"No, we cannot go to your home Kale, he probably knows who I've been staying with if he knew where to find us here. He attacked us because he knew there wouldn't be a lot of attention drawn to us out here. His implant can connect to your internet and find everything he needs to know about you." Kale began driving back on the highway as fast as the little car would carry them away from Kershala.

"I have an idea; we can find a place to rest for the night and head into hiding in the city tomorrow." Kale would take them to one of the villages along the way and to a bed and breakfast he had stayed at years ago with his family.

"I trust you." Kale turned the radio off feeling a paranoia come over him that they might get attacked on the road again. They drove on in silence for a long time, he could tell that Jinnar was upset likely by the loss of the AI and that he had been found. He stared out the window as they drove through the darkness and Kale could tell that he eventually fell asleep. It was after midnight when Kale looked at the clock, they had been driving for at least two hours. The drive he took them on skirted the city and would land them just forty-five minutes outside of Halifax. As he drove Kale's eyes were starting to get heavy, it had been a long day and an even longer night, but they were minutes away from the bed and breakfast. Kale glanced at Jinnar and used his free hand to shake him gently.

"We're almost there," said Kale softly, "Jinnar you need to wake up." Jinnar shifted and turned to face Kale, his eyes were open, and Kale could tell he was hurting. They had discussed the importance of the AI only a day or two ago and the information that it carried along with it. The archive of his family and their accomplishments had been lost. "When we get there, you'll have to hide until I check in. If someone see's you without a disguise it'll probably draw a lot of attention." Jinnar stayed quiet as they drove, and it wasn't long before they were pulling up to the bed and breakfast. It was a large house positioned at the end of a long driveway. The building sat in a large field that had been cleared and at one time been an old farmhouse with forest on all sides. Most of the old buildings that made up the actual farm had been taken down to make for a display that would make the yard that much more attractive to travelers. Kale could see a room with a balcony on it, on the side of the house facing the wooded area, he knew this time of year the business would be slow and there were only two other cars in the parking lot. He figured he'd be able to get the room with little issue. He parked the car at the farthest spot away from the building and shut the engine off. "Think you can make that jump if I get us the room with that balcony over there." Kale asked as he undid his seat belt.

"Yes." Jinnar spoke quietly.

"Okay, wait here. When I'm in the room I'll flicker the lights to let you know it's safe to come okay?" Jinnar nodded and Kale got out of the car. He walked up to the building and went inside finding the reception area well lit. He kept his hood up hoping to not be caught on any camera's they may have that could be something Kershala could track him with. The receptionist sat forward, and Kale could tell she was alarmed and probably not expecting to see anyone this late at night. He gave her a reassuring smile, once she saw the look in his eyes, she seemed to relax a fair bit.

"Sorry I wasn't expecting to see anyone come in this late," she said, "How can I help you?" She smiled as she opened a large book on her desk. Kale thought it funny they didn't use a digitized guest book but was thinking it would be better. "We have pretty much all the rooms available right now."

"Is that big one on the right side of the house with the balcony still open?" he asked, putting a degree of fake enthusiasm in his voice. She looked back a page in her book and then forward again.

"Yes actually. It's one fifty for the night though."

"It'll be worth the view in the morning." Kale smiled at her and she started doing the booking as Kale took out his wallet. He was thankful that he always kept around two hundred in cash in his wallet when he travelled. There was a good amount of small businesses in the countryside that still dealt in cash only. He took out the money and passed it off to her.

"I agree, when the sun comes up you get a wonderful view of the shoreline." The women counted the money and put it in her till.

"I'm going to probably sleep late can you see that I don't get any disturbances please. I'll call down when I'm ready for room service."

"Yeah absolutely." Kale watched as she turned to the wall and took down the key to the room. "Go upstairs and it's the first room in the left hallway." Kale nodded as he took the keys and headed up the stairs. He found his way into the room and shut the door making sure to bolt it behind him, he walked over and flickered the lights to signal Jinnar. He walked over to the balcony and slid the door open, he stepped outside, and the night air hit him. He watched Jinnar move quickly and silently across the front lawn before bounding up and grabbing onto the balcony railing and landing silently in front of him. Jinnar sat crouched for a few long seconds when Kale put his hand on his shoulder.

"How ya feelin?" he asked. Jinnar looked up at him his eyes were almost glowing, a faint blue light seemed to be visible in them. "What's going on with your eyes? That light, its beautiful."

"I don't know… Kale," Jinnar spoke between bated breath. "I have never felt this feeling before." Kale pulled Jinnar to his feet and walked him back into the room not bothering to shut the door. Kale watched as tears formed in Jinnar's eyes who looked away from him to avoid eye contact. Kale could hear him begin to sniffle and see the tears twinkle in the light as they fell from his eyes.

"Hey, hey it's okay." Kale put a hand on his chin and had him look at him. "I know you lost the AI but it's okay, you're still alive that's all that matters right."

"That is not it Kale," Jinnar cried shaking his head. "I don't know what's wrong, it is hard to explain.

"Just say whatever comes to mind," Kale encouraged.

"I never want to see you in pain again…" Jinnar breathed he put his hands on Kales face and touched their foreheads together. Kale knew that if they were together and Kershala was alive pain wasn't something they'd be able to avoid.

"We will find a way to get rid of him, I promise." Kale didn't really have any idea how to stop Kershala, but he could worry about that later. For now, he would just enjoy their time together while they had it. He pressed his lips to Jinnar following up on their conversation from earlier and he seemed stunned at first. Jinnar pulled back and looked at him for several seconds before thrusting himself on him. Kale was taken back by Jinnar's sudden passion as he pulled him back into a heavy kiss. He could feel Jinnar's hands finding their way all over his body as he guided him toward the bed. It wasn't long before Jinnar had lifted off Kale's shirt and took off his own. Kale ran his hands over Jinnar's body his skin was soft but felt quite different than he had expected. "Are you sure you're ready for this?" asked Kale pulling back and looking at Jinnar for a second.

"I have never felt anything this strong before," said Jinnar breathing heavily. "Once an Arktora forms a connection with someone if we don't act on it, it will become unbearable to resist." Kale looked at Jinnar and could see instinct taking over him as he spoke. "Kale, I love you." Kale sat down on the bed and stared at Jinnar for a moment. His sage colored muscular body seemed to be towering over him his chest heaving with every breath.

"I love you too," Kale whispered repositioning himself so that the bed was behind Jinnar. "Let's ease back a bit though, okay."

"Do you not want me?" asked Jinnar. Kale couldn't help but smile.

"Of course, I do, just let me lead okay." Kale pushed Jinnar back onto the bed gently before taking off his shirt and landing them together on the bed. Jinnar's body smelled sweet as Kale kissed the nape of his neck.

"I'm sorry, sensuality is something I know little of, the instinct is carnal… it's hard not to follow it as it demands."

"It's okay," Kale whispered in his ear.

Sindar shut the feed off, she had altered the memory but had no desire to watch it play out. Kreloc had taken her instruction well and implemented the changes she wanted and would continue the humans care while she began testing. They had been planet side for two days and she and Rukon had finished inserting the devices into all the relevant test subjects. He had spent the last few hours calibrating the devices to a variety of different settings and they would initiate the experiment soon. It was once again the middle of the night and the facility was quiet. Sindar was at the mobile monitoring station she had set up watching the human's memories as she waited for Rukon to contact her. As he set each unit, she could see it come online in her monitoring system and could see that he was almost done. The point of the experiment would be to test a series of different stimulants and sedatives on the human brain while it was interacting with the mnemonic data reader. She had to find a way to keep the human's brain stable while she extracted more information so she could both move the experiment along to meet her deadline for Baraketh and see about turning the human against the prince.

"The final calibrations are complete if you would like to meet me in the first subjects' room," said Rukon over their communicator. Sindar smiled to herself as she stood up, she held out her arm and had the monitoring system for the first subject transfer to the multitool. A holographic interface lit up as the information was transferred and a screen now travelled with her as she walked. The first room was located on the top floor, so she opened a portal that took her just outside the room. She phased through the door and could see the subject. Sindar had spent time observing the patients at the hospital, this one was about age twenty, she had noticed was regularly required to receive nutrition intravenously because it would refuse to eat. Its small frame laid straight on the bed, his green eyes were open and unblinking for the most part staring intently at the ceiling. His fair skin and fire colored hair intrigued Sindar, humans were quite varied genetically, their hair, skin and eyes seemed to vary heavily, this genetic variance made them ideal for use in scientific testing. A point she would not forget as she went forward with her adventures in science. The subject was awake in their bed and aware of his surroundings, part of the calibration process would return the subjects brain to a stable state. This would effectively change the chemistry in their brain to that of a healthy human brain fixing, if only temporary, their debilitation. Sindar activated the implant that would mimic the memory machine and the subject was suspended. She could see that he had already been strapped to the table as she approached, a crude but effective restraint. "Should I begin administering the first testing agent," asked Rukon as he took an injection tubule of the first sedative from his belt.

"Begin the process, I am monitoring his vitals and brain patterns," Sindar looked from her multitool to the test subject. Rukon placed the head of the tubule to the subject's neck and activated it. At first there was no reaction but in only a few seconds time the subject's heart rate began to climb rapidly and Sindar watched as the blood pressure began to spike. "This is not going to work." Sindar had no sooner uttered the words before the patient was pushed out of the trance like state the mnemonic data reader would invoke. His eyes had started bleeding and his blood pressure continued to climb. The door behind them slammed open and three medical staffed rushed in.

"What the hell is going on!" panicked the female.

"This shouldn't even be possible, how could his heart rate get so high, it's at three hundred and fifty two bpm?" Sindar glanced at Rukon who met her gaze, he smirked just as another of the humans rushed through him.

"What are you waiting for? Get him a shot of metaprolol!" Rukon smiled as the others rushed to save the man. He bent down and poked his head inside the subject's chest before pulling back.

"His heart outright exploded." He smiled at her as he walked past her and through the now open doorway. "So, option one is a bust. Subject two is just around the corner." Sindar followed him into the room across the hall passing easily through the closed door. "I've got a good feeling about this one."

"I wish I shared your optimism." She looked over the results as she walked, the chemical they used was something she had tried on several humanoids over the years, but it didn't seem to agree with very many. Reptilian species seemed to respond best to it but there had been a few trials on mammals as well that yielded acceptable results. "Ready the next dosage." She took scans of the next subject that slept soundly in his bed. A bit older with a vastly different look his hair was blond like Kale's with more curls it currently covered his face; this one had brown eyes. He was tall with an overall good body condition, his records Sindar had found showed he was a recent check in. He had suffered from massive chemical imbalances that had to be corrected to get accurate results on a healthy human brain. Rukon had taken care of this prior during the calibration process but she took scans to assure herself that the corrections had held. Rukon had readied the next injection as she was taking scans and walked up beside her. "This time I want you to inject at the base of the skull. I have activated the simulation."

"Of course." Rukon bent over the body and injected as Sindar instructed as the vial emptied, he looked to her likely watching for her reaction. Sindar watched the readout begin to fluctuate, his vital signs stayed within acceptable limits and his brain seemed to be taking to the sedative. "Curious. It seems to be stabilizing him." Sindar watched the vitals and brain activity and it was indeed running well.

"I'm going to increase the simulation to mimic long term stresses." Sindar tapped the interface and modified the simulation to mimic a long term memory extraction and rewrite. The humans brain maintained stability. She could feel a slight bit of excitement rising in her that she was so close to being able to get what she wanted. The two of them watched his physical reaction for a few long minutes and nothing seemed to change. "Rukon use your scanner to confirm these readings." Rukon took the scanner from his belt and ran it over the subject's body from head to toe lingering on the brain.

"The readings are correct. It is working." Rukon reattached his scanner to his belt and looked at Sindar, his smile had long faded. "I must admit I was looking forward to a longer testing period."

"End the simulation and prepare for mass trials." Sindar lowered her interface and took a step back to give Rukon room to work. "We have to test the configuration on others to make sure it is not an anomaly." Rukon used his calibration tool to end the simulation and suddenly the subject began violently shaking on the bed before letting out a horrid scream in agony. Startled at the reaction Sindar looked at her scanner again. As the implant was disengaged the subject's vital signs became incredibly erratic. It seemed as though his brain had lost its ability to regulate his bodily functions, the combination of the implant and the chemical they had injected him with had severed many of the connections in his nervous system and the frontal lobe seemingly shut off. Sindar scanned the body in depth and could tell that the combination of the implant and the sedative caused the subjects brain to fail. "Looks like you will get your wish, at least a little bit longer." The door swung open and two staff members came running in the room and began tending to the patient.

"What the hell is going on here tonight?" said one of them as she ran to the bed. "This is the second emergency on this floor!" Sindar and Rukon left the room leaving the staff to clean up the mess left by the process.

"The next subject is at the other end of the hall." They made their way to the other end of the hallway and entered a room. The subject was sitting in the corner on a chair wide awake and murmuring to itself, they couldn't understand what it was saying but Sindar opted to ignore it. Once they triggered the simulation it would quiet it. She took a scan of his brain activity quickly determining that the serotonin was crashing in his brain. The implant once activated would counteract this, but it might exhaust the brain in the process. Sindar didn't have time to worry about it, at this point whatever happened she could just log and move onto the next patient as required. "It's supposed to be in bed, can we still run the simulation with it up right? If it falls and hits its head, it could disrupt the implant." Rukon took a quick scan as he spoke.

"We can come back to this one, shall we move to the next?" asked Sindar looking at the previous subject's brain patterns prior to its death. Even the brief stabilization that it showed may make it easier for them to derive a method based on the temporary success.

"Let's go across the hall first. Let this one take some time to go to bed," Rukon smiled and gestured toward the door as he left the room. Sindar followed closely behind him and they went into the fourth subject's room, another one that had been strapped to its bed. Sindar took another quick scan, this subject was among the most severe cases in the hospital. She herself had witnessed it become violent with itself and members of the attending staff. It had covered its arms in self-inflicted lacerations and had given a staff member a head injury. Sindar activated the implant to stabilize his brain chemistry and the simulation began to run. "I wonder why they put so many resources into keeping these people alive."

"While I have no sympathy for these people as they fuel our experiment, do not act as though our society has never had similar questions brought before it. It may have been hundreds of years ago, but we too once dealt with these imbalances, our technology allows us to forget it," explained Sindar. She walked to be standing beside the subject's bed and held out her hand. Rukon passed her the next sedative and she loaded the injector tool with it. She injected the fluid into their neck and activated her scanner to wait for the results.

"It looks like something is actually disrupting the implant." Rukon was looking at Sindar's scanner readout before readying his own scanner. "Attempting to compensate." Rukon was attempting to recalibrate the implant but Sindar could already see the problem.

"The sedative is numbing the part of the brain the implant connects to. Unless you move the implant, it won't make a difference," she explained.

"So, we know that means that sedative four is a no go then. On to the next subject." Sindar could hear the frustration in Rukon's voice but chose to ignore it as he walked past her. She took another scan of the human's brain and their experiment had left his brain chemistry completely rebalanced. He would wake up in the morning a new man.

"Let us go back to the third test subject. It has been a little bit we can see if he has calmed down." Sindar walked through the wall putting herself ahead of Rukon as she led the way back toward the third subjects' room. They walked into the small room shortly and they found the subject still awake but this time he had moved to his bed. "Hm, maybe we should just give him something to make him sleep." The subject sat on the bed and looked up at her making eye contact with her.

"I can see you; you know. I'm not going to sleep. I know you've been doing something to the people that live here," said the subject. Sindar was surprised humans shouldn't be able to see them without extensive technological enhancements. "I can't hear you speak but I know what you've been doing." He repeated himself and Sindar looked at Rukon almost stunned. Rukon used a scanner quickly, Sindar could tell that he was checking the phase generator to verify it was working properly.

"The field generator is operating well within acceptable parameters. This should not be possible." Sindar held up her scanner and the human flinched.

"Please don't hurt me." Sindar shook her head at the reaction and ran a full spectral scan of the human's brain. The implant was working the way it was expected to and had been put in properly, but the calibration process seemed to change the human's perception.

"Was there anything odd about this one when you put the calibrations in place?" she asked.

"It was a little more difficult due to some of the medication he is on but nothing I couldn't handle," said Rukon almost boastful.

"It must be a combination of the implant and the medication he is on changing the plane of which he perceives things," said Sindar looking over her scanner interface. "If he is able to see us, we may as well let him hear us."

"What are you doing?" asked Rukon. Sindar connected remotely to the implant and began recalibrating it and linking it to their communication devices.

"Can you understand us now?" she asked lowering her device. The human looked up at her with only a small amount of fear in his eyes.

"Yes, yes I can. What are you?"

"I am Sindar of the Shirona Arktora, and this is one of my assistants, Rukon." Rukon looked at her as if she had lost her mind, but quickly fell in line. He nodded to the human in acknowledgement, Sindar smiled at him. "What should we call you?" she asked.

"My, my name is, Josh," he stuttered, "I saw all of your equipment in the cafeteria and I know you injected the others with something. What are you here for?" Sindar found herself forever more surprised with this individual. The whole thing was fascinating and could prove a useful experiment in modifying the phase generator to be more effective. "Did you kill the others? Are you going to kill me?"

"We did not kill the others on purpose," said Sindar trying to sound nonthreatening. "We have a friend who is extremely sick, who is human. Therefore, we must test the medicines on other humans to see if they will fix his condition." Rukon looked at Sindar and smirked slightly at her words. "You won't tell anyone of us will you Josh?" she asked. Josh just shook his head.

"They wouldn't believe me anyway, just another hallucination. I'm not sure if I believe myself."

"Sindar are we going to run the experiment on this one or not?" asked Rukon. Sindar hesitated a moment and looked at the subject, Josh. He was small framed, his eyes a variable shade of green and grey, his hair shaved exceptionally low to his skull, he had no marks on his body from the self-infliction so many of the subjects had and his skin was a strong sienna. She decided to keep him around a while longer for now to take some readings from the implant. Having him around when Kale awoke could also prove to be beneficial.

"No, we will leave him." Sindar turned to leave and Rukon followed. "At least for now."

"Where are you going?" asked Josh.

"We aren't leaving we will be here for the foreseeable future. I will speak with you at a later time." Sindar smiled back at Josh who laid down on his bed.

"Why are we leaving him alive?" asked Rukon.

"I believe he may be of more use for our interaction with Kale when the time comes." Sindar glared back at Rukon having heard the suspicion as he spoke. "Where is number five?" Rukon paused before walking past her to the next room, it was just across the hall. As they walked in Sindar noticed right away that the next subject was female. The only one on this ward, the males, and females Sindar had noticed were primarily kept separate in this facility. They made note that there were always guards posted outside of the room. Sindar noted right away the difference in male and female anatomy making note of their sexual reproduction. The females traditionally had longer hair and softer features compared to the males. Her long blond hair had been colored with a staining blue externally to match her eyes. The female was only about thirty according to scans and had given birth within the last month. "Are you ready to start the simulation?" she asked.

"Yes, just give the word." Rukon pulled out his scanner and got ready to initiate the simulation and had pulled out a preloaded injector unit. Sindar nodded and the simulation was activated and quickly running at capacity. Rukon went ahead and injected the sedative and right away the results seemed to be positive.

"Accelerating the mental activity take secondary scans and confirm acceptance of the sedative." Sindar ordered as she used the simulation to create short term stress on the brain. The additional stress yielded no negative results. After sitting for several minutes letting the stress build from the simulation she stopped and shut it down yielding no negative side effects, she looked up from her scans and Rukon met her eyes. "Start mass trials. Use one hundred of the individuals and monitor the stress levels use the main computer downstairs."

"Yes Sindar." Rukon's voice was excited. Sindar watched him leave the room then sat quietly watching the subject for a few more moments as if expecting her to react negatively the second she took her eyes of her. Nothing happened and Sindar knew she was being foolish, she turned to leave the room when her communicator began reacting.

"Go ahead?" she said as she activated it.

"Sindar we have detected something we think you will find interesting on the surface." Sindar had expected Rukon but it was Kreloc calling from the ship.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked her irritation growing quickly, she had made some real progress in the last few moments and was looking forward to riding the high for at least the time being.

"I am sorry to bother you, but I believe we may have detected a Daoran device of some sort," Kreloc explained.

"Where at? Why didn't we detect it before?" she asked irritation ever present at the incompetence on display. "Our sensor array is the most sensitive in the fleet, why did it take you until now to detect this?" Sindar thought that maybe the prince had come looking for her sooner than she anticipated and had likely used something to mask his presence.

"We believe the device may have been powered down," said Kreloc, "I know what you're thinking, and we have run extensive scans of the entire system, there is no other vessels in the vicinity." Sindar took a breath of relief, she was always prepared to fight, but didn't want to leave her experiment unfinished and her most powerful weapon wasn't finished yet.

"Is it close to us? Send me the coordinates I will go investigate it myself."

"It is not far; it is within portal range. I believe from the humans' memories I've been examining that it may be in the area of his home city, where he and the Daoran had been held captive at one point," said Kreloc, "I do not know how it got there but it appears to be a human military establishment." Sindar looked at her scanner and the coordinates had been received. Using her ships sensors from orbit she scanned the facility and was also able to detect a decayed Shironian DNA signature.

"Thank you Kreloc, I will go investigate this myself." Sindar opened a portal and took herself to the main computer they had set up finding Rukon there getting it ready to collect feedback from the implants. There was a red light flashing in the hallway outside of the room they set up in.

"Apparently they have gone into a state of emergency," said Rukon smirking at her. "Too many unexplained deaths."

"I have to leave for a bit, you will need to continue monitoring the experiment on your own, is this clear." Sindar walked over to the main computer and looked over what he had done so far, she trusted Rukon to make the right decisions he knew what was at stake.

"Of course, is something wrong?" he asked.

"No, but I have to go investigate some strange readings," Sindar tapped a few buttons on her arm tool, "I will be back before the night is done." A portal opened behind her and Rukon watched as she walked through it taking her to the coordinates.

Sindar found herself in an empty room and immediately engaging a cloaking field to keep from being detected. She was no longer phased and would be able to interact with the environment but would also be restricted by it if her technology couldn't get her around it. She looked around the small room, there was a small bed against the wall but nothing else, a quick scan revealed that the doorway was locked electronically, and the security system was operated by a main computer system. Sindar had no trouble hacking the computer system pulling information from it as she let herself out of the room. This facility had at one time been a holding place for the Prince and the human. Sindar was beginning to recognize it from the memories she had seen from Kale and it wasn't long before she was able to find miniscule, damaged traces of Daoran DNA. The information told her that General Lawson had been brought here after the Prince had almost killed him. Also, the man who assisted in Jinnar's destruction was present here. Sindar could feel a certain rage building in her but she ignored it and stepped out into the hallway. Immediately two guards came running around the corner and to the room she had just come from.

"What the hell was that? Door just opened on its own," said the one in the lead.

"I don't see anyone that could have done it. Is the security system malfunctioning again?" asked the second one, a female.

"God dammit, I'm so sick of this so-called upgrade. It's gone wonky way too many times for something that's supposed to be state of the art." The lead guard checked the panel on the wall that controlled the door. He tapped in a sequence that caused the door to shut then looked back at his colleague. "You're doing the report for this one."

"Why do I have to do it?"

"You have a way with words, I seem to lack." Sindar was still as she looked through the information and downloaded a map of the facility performing a more detailed scan, she quickly detected Shironian remains present in the facility along with the device Kreloc had sent her there for. She began moving toward the room they were both being kept in passing several guards on the way, it wasn't long before she had come to a large titanium door. She could detect both the remains and device behind it. The guard presence here was heavier than it had been anywhere else. Even for the middle of the night there were four guards posted outside the doorway. Sindar knew that if she activated the door remotely it would set them off and it would likely interfere with her extraction and analysis of the remains. She opened a portal and walked through taking her inside the room. The room itself was filled with nonhuman items, a couple of Indarien trinkets were kept in one case to the side, as far as Sindar could tell their power cells were active but the humans likely couldn't figure out how to use them. They were of no use anyway just a couple of decorative items. She recognized artifacts from at least two other species when she found herself wondering why so many space fairing species had made it a point to get to this planet considering its population of apes. After spending a bit more time analyzing human physiology, she determined that on the surface they didn't appear to be much good other than as a control group for testing due to their genetic diversity. They were less than average in strength on a galactic scale, not particularly innovative technologically and still struggled with societal issues that other species would likely not waste time on. It appeared a vast majority of them did not realize that they were all one species based on the information they had gathered from the internet. If Baraketh ever needed a servant labor force they'd be in luck.

As she exited the portal, she could see right away that there had been additional security put in place. Infrared beams crisscrossed in front of her and seemed to cover any accessible point in the room. The different artifacts were behind glass cases that were sitting on scales that would sound an alarm if removed. Sindar could find no way to access the security remotely and she could see this system would keep any human from being able to get around the room. She was not human nor was she limited by their concept of mobility. Sindar walked to the nearest wall and put her hands on it in front of her, she extended the setae in her fingers and feet and begin climbing up the wall and across the ceiling. This easily brought her across the room and passed the infrared security. She could have easily used a portal to get past it, but it had been awhile since she had a reason to climb anything and, to be simple, she enjoyed it. She dropped gracefully from the ceiling and landed making no noise. It appeared the security was only at the entrance way as there did not appear to be any other entry points into the room. There wasn't even a ventilation system present and the room was airtight, luckily Shironians did not need high levels of oxygen and with her enhancements she was able to go longer than normal even among other Wraith. Her readings told her that the average human likely would have passed out by now due to deprivation. She walked past the different artifacts and came to a sealed two by two crate, this was where Jinnar's remains were being kept. A quick scan of the platform it was being kept on told her of a pressure mount system, once the item was removed it would set off its own alarm. At this point she would send the remains back to her ship and perform a detailed autopsy of it later. She knew how he died, she had seen the memory, but wanted to see if there were any remains of the Daoran nanite technology that was used against him. She assigned it a teleporter tag using her scanner and moved on to the next artifact, it was in the next case. Contained in a glass case on a pedestal, from what Sindar could tell it was a human mobile phone, she had learned about it based on the internet scans they had taken, and she had seen Kale use it in his memories. It had somehow been enhanced with Daoran technology, limited by the capacity of the device itself, she had hoped it would provide them with a bit of insight into the technology the AI used to create it. Sindar had gained the opportunity throughout the years to examine most of the older technology from the Daoran people, shuttle pods, body armors, weaponry, their implants and even information that Jinnar had obtained directly from a City Ship, but never one of their AI. The core AI from the city ship self-destructed once it realized it wasn't going to be able to get away and had not had the opportunity since. Sindar took one last glance around the room before activating the teleporter and taking her, Jinnar and the item back to her lab.

As she arrived, she used the gravity device in her multitool to lift the box with Jinnar's remains to one of the labs workstations. Once it had been placed, she activated the machinery above it that would use lasers and plasma technology to cut through the box. She sat and watched as the machinery took it apart piece by piece. It opened to a glass case which contained what was left of Jinnar's body. Initial scans revealed that the remains were in a severe state of decay. Her scanner could barely tell her that it was him anymore, but she was picking up traces of the nanites. This was the closest she had ever gotten to being able to examine the tiny machines, in Jinnar's death he may have brought them closer to winning then they had ever been. Using the magnetic suspension tool at the workstation she extracted the remnants of all the nanites that had been left behind and began running an imaging scan. She would have to wait awhile to see what the results would yield. In the meantime, she picked the human device up from the teleporter pad and scanned it, she would need to find a way to recharge the battery before she could test its capability. Her scanner revealed the lithium ion power cell contained inside the unit, from what she could tell it wouldn't take much to reactivate the cell and get the ions moving again. She adjusted her wrist and using her multitool activated a low level electrical field and passed it over the device. She could see from her scanner that the ions were starting to reactivate, and it wasn't long until the power cell was up to seventy percent power. Sindar watched as the screen lit up and a loading screen proceeded to display on the machine. She looked it over realizing that she had no idea how to work the device even in an unaltered state. Her thoughts turned to that of the subject, Josh, he would likely know how to use the machine. She activated her communicator.

"Rukon, I require your assistance?" she said. There was short pause before she heard anything back, she figured he may have been busy with the monitoring equipment. "Rukon?"

"Yes, Sindar. I am here," he spoke, "Apologies, but a couple of the experiments are showing promising results I was just comparing the data. What did you need of me?"

"The subject, Josh, I have a need for him, will you have him sent up to my lab please."

"Of course. Did you find success finding Jinnar's remains? Kreloc spoke to me of your task." Sindar found the question odd but didn't want to make the time to pursue a line of questioning.

"Just send the boy here." She closed her communication with him expecting the order to be followed shortly. Sindar looked over the device while she waited, and it wasn't long before there was a flash of light in the corner. Josh fell to the ground on all fours and vomited likely effected by the teleporter. He backed into the corner in fear at first until he saw her, she approached him slowly trying not to frighten him. "I am not going to harm you." He exhaled a sigh of relief at her reassurance. "I need your help."

"With what?" he asked wiping his mouth. "Yuck can I have some water?"

"Of course." Sindar walked to the food dispenser and got a glass of water she passed it to him, and he drank the whole thing right away.

"Where are we? How did I get here?" he asked as he stood up looking around.

"We are on my ship in my personal lab. We used the teleporter to bring you here," Sindar picked up the device and held it out to him. "I need you to help us figure out how to use this device." Josh took the device from her hand and looked it over then held it in his hand and tapped the screen a couple times.

"This is just a phone? Are you serious?" he asked a smile growing across his face. Sindar's expression remained serious and he quickly adjusted his own to match once he realized she was serious. "I suppose, I wouldn't know how to work something humans didn't create. This is pretty simple though; it doesn't even seem to have a passcode on it. Here I'll show you." Josh took a few steps closer to her and turned so she could see over his shoulder and held the phone up. She watched as he opened it by sliding a finger across the face of it. The screen changed and several small icons were displayed on the screen, Sindar recognized a couple of them as Daoran symbols but the rest must have been human. "Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, phone, messages, camera." Josh pointed to the different icons as he spoke. "Those are familiar but these ones I don't recognize." Josh ran his finger over the Daoran symbols. Sindar activated her multitool and began scanning the device.

"Interesting." Sindar looked over the holographic display, scans revealed that the device would connect to the Daoran AI the same way their ships and other technology would. Something she might be able to use to assume control over one given the proper proximity. She might even be able to get backdoor access to its database without triggering its cyber warfare suite. "This could be very useful."

"Man, that things pretty cool," Josh was looking at her multitool.

"If you're around long enough maybe I'll engineer one for your physiology. This one is specific to me." Sindar smiled as she took the phone from him.

"If it goes dark just tap the screen and slide your finger across the bottom of it, that should open it." Josh took a step back and watched her as she looked over the phone. Sindar used the multitool and activated the translator in her eyes, this device would change any foreign language to Ekarvian based on her link to the ships central database. The symbols seemed to be considerably basic words, Talk, Defense, Help, and Scan. She decided not to toy with any of them this time, once she woke Kale, she decided it safest to look at it together. She figured that at least one or two of those would communicate with the Prince and his AI. With Kale in the room they could manipulate the scenario if need be. She sat the device on the table next to her and Josh and he picked it up again.

"You're not even gonna see what those buttons do?" he asked.

"No, we'll be able to learn far more, safely if I run scans and decryption." Josh looked her in the eye and tapped one of the icons and the phone began vibrating in a pattern. Sindar acted quickly and used the dampening field in her lab to stop any communications from leaving the ship.

"Doesn't seem to be doing anything," he said looking it over. It stopped vibrating as he spoke and Sindar ripped the device from Josh's hand as she opened a communication.

"Kreloc have you detected any tracking signals leaving the ship?" she asked.

"Yes Sindar, for two point seven five milliseconds a signal was detected leaving the ship," explained Kreloc.

"Was it enough for the Daoran AI to track?" she asked glaring at Josh.

"Based on my calculations it should not be enough for us to become trackable. I will activate the scattering field and rotate the frequency as a precaution."

"See to it." Sindar closed communication with Kreloc.

"Do you mind if I stay here? I don't wanna go back to that place," asked Josh. Sindar scoffed at him and sent him back to his cell at the facility using the teleporter. She put the device into a stasis field and set up a secure monitoring station to keep track of any signals it might be emitting. She went to the trouble of setting up a powerful dampening field around it as well, she didn't need it sending a distress signal before she was ready to use it to hopefully track the AI. She stared at it for a few minutes watching the readings the scanner was taking when her communicator activated.

"Sindar, apologies for disturbing you, but may I come to your lab? I wish to discuss my findings from the memory scans I've been conducting?" asked Kreloc. Sindar found herself irritated but decided to see what he had found.

"I will come to you, meet me in the memory lab," she said.

"Of course." The communication ended and Sindar opened a portal to take her to the memory lab where the machine had been reading the humans memories. Several technicians were present and working at different projects at the various workstations. They looked up to greet her but kept working as she walked past them and up into the main observation deck. It wasn't long before Kreloc joined her, she could tell he was anxious to speak to her, so she gestured for him to begin. "After examining the human's memories, I have found something I would say is rather useful," he began, "The Daoran medical officer remarked about the human's brain, that he could potentially control dark energy." Sindar knew that the topic of dark energy was exciting for Kreloc. He had done a rather large part of his dissertation on the subject and had performed extensive experimentation on Shironian humanoids trying to come up with a way to weaponize it. "I have run my own scans after our last session and she is right, the human brain is magnificent in function. With the right modification to our own technology I would likely be able to make it possible for the human to finally weaponize dark energy. It could be a turning point in the fight against the Daorans."

"I remind you of the importance this particular human has for us," Sindar scolded, "We cannot afford to risk his life on your failed amplification experiments."

"Of course not, I would not risk using the technology on Kale until it is perfected," Kreloc smiled, "There is a whole planet of test subjects on the other side of this moon. I believe that with little modification to the amplifiers our people have already created that the human cerebral cortex could easily manipulate dark energy." Sindar was always happy to see science pushing forward in their favor and she could see the benefit of this option. "I know you are hesitant; I can modify the amplifier to allow us to assert a level of control over the subjects motor function to prevent any danger we may run into." Sindar carefully considered Kreloc's proposal, if it went the way they wanted it to go they'd have a weapon against the Daoran's that they couldn't possibly have a defense against. Though if it went wrong, they'd be creating a dangerous superweapon with a conscience that could turn on them.

"Do what you will but know that I reserve the right to terminate this project if I deem fit at any time without question or reason." Kreloc seemed to hesitate but quickly rethought the hesitation.

"I will not fail; my life's work has been leading to this," Sindar could hear the excitement boiling in Kreloc's voice.

"This is to be conducted secondary to your duty to the human's memories. Is that understood."

"Yes Sindar. I will get started this evening."

Kale had just finished getting supplies and was climbing the old stairwell that would take him to the roof of the building they had been hiding in for the last week. Jinnar had been trying to gather materials to build a device to contact his sister so she could come and save the two of them but had been having a difficult time getting what he needed. He just kept saying that if had of been able to salvage the AI then they would have likely been off the planet by now. The rain came down on him as he climbed the stairs keeping a firm hand gripping the rail. He felt like if he slipped it would probably be the end of him, every step felt as though the whole structure was shaking free of the mounts that held it to the side of the building. After a few long minutes he finally got to the top of the building only to find that the door to their hiding place was hanging open. Jinnar had kept himself hidden from other humans since landing so it would have been odd for him to go outside even in the dim light of the rainy evening they were experiencing.

"Jinnar?" Kale spoke as he came to the doorway and got no answer. He turned the corner shutting the door behind him a pit formed in his stomach as he walked slower and slower starting to think that something was seriously wrong. "Jinnar." As he rounded the corner the worst case scenario unfolded before his eyes. Kershala was standing over a very still Jinnar, Kale dropped everything he was carrying and ran to Jinnar's side. Kershala seemed to ignore him as he fell to Jinnar's side, Kale felt tears well up in his eyes as he got to Jinnar's body. It was clear that his neck had been broken but there was also several wounds on his chest showing that he had at least tried to fight. Kershala must have caught him off guard as it didn't look like there had been much of a scuffle around the room. Kale cradled his lover's body and cried in silence as his killer stood over the two of them in an almost robotic silence. The body was still warm telling him that he hadn't been dead long. Kale had been gone for just over an hour and couldn't help but feel like it might have been different if he had of been there even if he wouldn't have been able to defeat Kershala. "I'm sorry," Kale whispered. He could hear heavy footsteps behind him and surprisingly they seemed be walking away from him. Kale looked over his shoulder at Kershala who seemed to be looking around the room. "How could you do this?" he cried quietly.

"I did what was required," said Kershala calmly. Kale stood up and watched as Kershala turned to leave, letting his rage take over he ran at Kershala and punched him in the head as hard as he could. Kale knew instantly that he had broken his hand as the pain shot through his hand. Kershala turned to face him as he keeled over in pain holding his hand. Kale looked up at him as his helmet retracted revealing his face, he had a hard time making out his features in the dark room. "Why would you risk your life for this creature. I was prepared to leave you and walk away."

"If you're going to, just do it and get it over with already." Kale looked up at him through the tears in his eyes. It wasn't like he could go back to his old life anyway. "I love him."

"Loved, as you can see, he is now dead." Kershala gestured to the body.

"You son of a bitch!" Kale yelled as he rushed Kershala. As he shoulder checked him it was like hitting a brick wall. Kershala wrapped an arm around him and Kale began to feel a strange buzzing come over his whole body. He struggled to pull away from him worried that he might be trying to shock him or something when he felt a loss of control of his whole body and everything went dark. He opened his eyes and he was standing on a well-lit platform somewhere entirely different he fell to his hands and knees and vomited on the floor in front of him. "Where am I? What did you do to me?" he called out.

"Elara, he is all yours," said Kershala. Kale tried to stand up when he felt hands all over him holding onto him, three figures in strange suits had rushed him, he looked up to see Kershala walk down off the platform ahead of him. A woman walked up to him with some sort of tool in her hand and pushed it to his neck. An unbelievable pain shot through his spine to the point he thought he might pass out, instead he suddenly became unable to feel anything.

"I would like to take more scans of his cerebral cortex. Previous scans of his species suggest we may be able to use it to further our dark energy reaction research," said the women as she ran a device over him.

"What did you do to me?" Kale struggle to speak through the numbness that was taking over his face.

"Lenari, Sashir, take him to the medical lab. Prep him for long term immobilization I will be down shortly." Elara took a step back from him and two young men walked over and picked him up taking him away from the others.

Kale sat up quickly waking up from a nightmare he couldn't remember. He looked around the small room he was in not being able to recall how he got here. The last thing he remembered was being saved from Kershala's ship by Sindar and Kreloc. He sat there for a moment taking deep breaths feeling incredibly anxious about his surroundings. The small room he was in was very impersonal, nothing on the walls, lacking any real color or personality. He turned in the bed to put his feet on the ground, the metal was cold to touch and made him hesitate at first. He reached around touching the back of his neck, remembering the pain that the Daoran scientist had inflicted upon him as she probed his brain. He ran a hand down his back checking for traces of the painful metal implants she had inserted into his spinal cord to monitor his nervous system. He could feel some light scarring, but no actual implants were there. He didn't remember the process to remove them and he was glad that he couldn't. Next, he ran a shaking hand over his head, the last thing he remembered was them shaving it before opening his skull. It had started to grow back but was still very thin. He could see what looked to be a bathroom in one corner and slowly stood up to walk to it. A strong light headedness washed over him as he stood even slowly causing him to realize how hungry he was and that he probably hadn't eaten in a while. As he balanced himself on the wall as he walked to the bathroom and walked in, what looked to be a human sink had been installed with a mirror above it. He looked in the mirror and immediately didn't recognize the person he was staring back at. He had lost a significant amount of weight he figured probably about forty pounds, his face was sunken in and his eyes were black rimmed like he hadn't slept in days. Most of the muscle he had put on had wasted away and he didn't recognize the clothing. They had put him in a grey jumpsuit presumably because they had been operating on his body trying to undo the damage the Daoran's had done. As he stared at himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but feel tears welling up in his eyes. He hadn't truly had time to mourn Jinnar and the fact that he died alone made Kale's heart break, he could only imagine what his final moments might have been like and what he might have been thinking as Kershala took his life.

"Don't worry, your sister saved me," he whispered to himself as he wiped his eyes. Kale walked back over to the bed and sat down. He sat looking at his hands resting them on his lap, tears fell again, and he shook his head and wiped them away. "Doesn't make it any better though…" Kale sat in silence for several minutes just staring at his hands not sure what his next move should be when the door to the room slid open. He looked up and the light that shone in from the hallway was hard to look at for some reason. Two figures entered the room one of them was Sindar.

"Kale, I'm glad to see that you're finally up, Kreloc and I weren't sure you'd ever fully recover," she said reaching out to caress his face. Sindar's skin was cool to the touch and for some reason it brought him a good deal of comfort. "I had some food prepared for you, according to my scans your body should be able to process solid food again. That Daoran butcher did a lot of damage to your internal organs." The second figure, a humanoid brought in a tray of food and sat it beside him on the bed. Kale stayed quiet and took some food from the tray putting it in his mouth. It was familiar in texture, similar to cheese if he had to compare it to something he had before. "We did the best we could do in getting all the implantation out of your body. Do you feel any pain?"

"No, just dizziness." Kale spoke between bites. "How long have I been on the ship?"

"It's been quite some time, just over three months has passed since we first got you on board. We had to keep you sedated while we repaired the damage done to your body, there was no other way. Your body was brutalized Kale," explained Sindar. Kale looked at her surprised at how long it had been. "What's the last thing you remember?" Kale stopped eating starting to feel strange at the feeling of the food in his stomach.

"I remember you and Kreloc pulling me from that Daoran lab and bringing me back to your ship," he started, "I remember the pain of when you moved me, I remember you injecting me with that numbing agent to kill the pain. I remember Jinnar's…" Kale paused and looked up at Sindar the tears forming in his eyes again having barely dried from before, she reached out and touched his face again wiping away a tear. Kale felt as though his emotions were out of control, he felt them stronger than he ever remembered before.

"We will get the one responsible, I promise."

"Where is that monster now?" All Kale could think of was avenging Jinnar.

"We don't know where he is Kale and right now it wouldn't matter you can't join the fight against him in your current state." Kale knew she was right, after watching Kershala in action he knew he didn't stand a chance against him, he had almost ended his life once before but thankfully Jinnar saved him. "However, there may be a way for you to become powerful enough to end him."

"Just tell me what I have to do." Sindar smiled at him and tapped her multitool holographically projecting images of a human brain and several images of devices he didn't recognize. Another seemed to be a looping video or recording of something that was hard to make out.

"The Daoran scientist's computer contained logs of her interest in the human brain," she began.

"Dark energy," Kale muttered remembering hearing the word thrown around while the Daoran's operated on his body.

"Yes, Kreloc is a dark energy specialist, he has studied it for years. The problem is that the Shironian brain just isn't wired correctly for the task at hand. I believe I have modified his previous research to be compatible with the human brain and could grant you the ability to control dark energy through thought and action."

"How long will it take?"

"Once you have regained your strength, we can outfit you with the implants. You will have to learn how to use them though." Kale stood up, walked to the doorway, and looked back at them.

"Put whatever drugs you have to in me, I want to get started." Sindar smiled at him and Kale could see a certain amount of pride in her expression.

"I'm glad you feel this way." She walked over to the doorway and turned to the humanoid before leaving. "Make sure this is cleaned up. Have a living-quarters set up for Kale on deck two." Sindar opened the door and they walked out into the hallway. Kale wasn't sure if it was his determination or the food, but the dizziness had vanished as they walked. The halls of the ship weren't what he was expecting from the Shironian ship, the heat was worse than in his quarters and the lights were a red color making them hard to look at.

"Why red light?" he asked as they came to the end of the corridor to a lift.

"What do you mean?" asked Sindar as she tapped in a sequence to open the door before they stepped inside.

"All the lights they're red." Sindar scanned him with her multitool.

"I didn't realize before, you see at a different depth of the spectrum than we Shironians do. We do not see any color in these lights." The lift began moving and Kale could tell that they were moving fast just from the vibration of the machine. "I can make you an implant to change the spectrum of color you see, if you wish." The lift stopped seemingly almost as quickly as it started, and the door opened leading directly into a lab. The lighting in the lab was white light, Kale figured it was most likely to keep things sterile. His eyes felt better almost immediately. "Here we are." Kale could see Kreloc at the other end of the lab working at a machine. He was vastly different looking than Sindar or the humanoid Shironians, to Kale he looked like a giant anole that stood upright with an elongated face and small eyes. Kreloc saw them as they entered and walked toward them. "Kreloc, Rukon, get the implants ready, Kale is ready to try it on." Sindar called out as she walked to meet Kreloc, Kale followed her close behind. He could see another Shironian like Sindar working on something on a pedestal, Kale was sure it was the implant set. He looked up at the mention of the second name.

"Human, I am glad to see you back on your feet," said Kreloc. "We have been hard at work modifying the implant to work with your physiology. Come I will show you." Sindar stayed quiet walking alongside Kreloc as he beckoned Kale along. Rukon smiled at him as they got closer, Kale realized he was right as they stopped not far from where he was working.

"Hello, Kale," he said nodding at him before looking to Sindar, "I have finished the modifications you gave me; the simulations are coming back with great results. He looks a little malnourished are we sure he should be subjected to this just yet?"

"I'm not taking no for an answer," said Kale stepping forward. Rukon smiled at him and looked at Sindar who nodded him along.

"Okay then. I like someone with your attitude, you will go far around here." Rukon used a tool from a nearby workstation and the pedestal he had been working at moved forward and grew slightly taller before opening to reveal three stands each with a piece of technology sitting atop it. The right and left pieces were barely thimble sized, the stand in the center didn't seem to house anything.

"Kale please step up to the unit and turn around with your hands placed on each stand, facing us," Sindar instructed. Kale looked at the devices only slightly hesitant before stepping up into place, he turned around as he was told and Kreloc walked up to him with an injection tool in hand.

"Don't put me under, I wanna be conscious for this," he said.

"It will only numb you, otherwise the pain will be quite invasive. This implant will be routed directly to your nervous system and brain once it is fully established," Kreloc explained before pressing the injector to Kale's neck. He pulled the trigger and there was the sound of air releasing, Kale felt something prick his neck, but it quickly went numb. Kale felt as though he might lose his ability to stand when suddenly a warmth washed over his body.

"The stasis field is what your feeling right now, it will keep you from falling," explained Rukon. Sindar began taking scans of his body with her multitool and used it to project a graphic of his nervous system in front of him in a green color. "It looks like the cilexinol is doing its job, add the first part of the device." Rukon looked closely at the projection and grabbed another injection tool from the workstation. Kale watched as Kreloc removed the top part of the jumpsuit he wore and took his hand sticking the first implant to the bottom of his right wrist. "Okay Kale let us know if you feel anything, we may have to up the dosage."

"Nothing yet," said Kale as Kreloc stepped back. A couple of drops of blood dripped from his wrist to the ground at the site the implant was inserted. Kale could see something begin to move under his skin and run the full length of his arm and up to his neck. "What's it doing?"

"Stay calm Kale," said Sindar giving him a reassuring smile, "It is fusing to your nervous system."

"Quite easily I might add," said Rukon. Kale watched as the graphic they looked at changed from the green to a blue color starting at the injection site. "Okay do the next one." Kreloc smiled at Kale as he did the same with his other arm. Kale could suddenly feel a great deal of discomfort as the second implant connected with him.

"Pain," Was all he could get out before Rukon injected him with the tool he carried. The room started to go dark around him, and the pain didn't seem to be stopping. A medical alarm sounded from somewhere around him and Sindar, Rukon and Kreloc all sprang into action.

"The cilexinol isn't working anymore, try the neurozine zioxidine combo," Sindar ordered. Kreloc grabbed a couple of vials from a nearby station and mixed them with lightning precision. Kale could see that blood was running from the implantation sites on his arms and he was starting to slip in and out of consciousness. He felt another two injections in his neck before he started to feel numb again.

"Why wasn't the mixture ready for use when we got here Rukon?" Kale could tell Sindar was furious as he started to become coherent again.

"If you had of waited for him to be stronger then this wouldn't have happened," yelled Rukon.

"He would not take no for an answer. How dare you speak to me in this manner." Kale could tell that Sindar wasn't the type to be questioned in her own lab by the anger in her voice.

"And since when do we let the subjects choose when the experiment proceeds!" Kale found the word choice strange but wasn't currently in the mind state to question it. Sindar stayed quiet and stood tall looking down at Rukon.

"You will not question me, were you any other officer I would disembowel you and feed you to the charpon." Sindar brought up her multitool and Kale could see the regret in Rukon's eyes as he backed down and looked to the ground.

"I… am sorry Sindar, I spoke out of emotion, I am sorry for questioning your brilliance." Sindar tapped something on her multitool and Rukon was teleported out of the room.

"Anzar, you will replace Rukon," said Sindar, "Monitor his vitals, if he begins feeling pain or if his heart rate spikes, you need to react before he does." A female humanoid walked over to them and began scanning Kale, he could see her from the corner of his eye getting several injection tools ready for use. Sindar took a step closer to him and put a gentle hand under his chin. "Are you okay, Kale?"

"Yes, the pain is gone." Sindar glanced at Kreloc who had stayed quiet the entire time and gestured for him to continue. Kale could see on the graphic that the implants in both his wrists had formed a net throughout his upper nervous system meeting at the base of his neck.

"Kale I warn you that with this no matter what we give you, you will likely feel discomfort. Let us know if it becomes too much. We cannot predict the intensity of the feeling," Kreloc explained as he walked around behind him. "This implant is what will register the electrical signals from your brain and amplify them so you can interact with the dark energy more readily." Kale felt a slight pressure on the base of his skull as he assumed Kreloc injected the implant. An odd feeling started to permeate Kale's body as the final implant was installed and connected to his brain. His skin began to crawl as if there were bugs crawling all over him, then he felt extremely cold, then hot and suddenly he felt as though someone was tickling him. That feeling stopped when he could suddenly smell something sweet, for some reason the scent aroused him and he had no idea why, then the feeling of his fingers running along someone's skin.

"I love you," Kale whispered though he wasn't sure who he was talking to.

"What?" asked Sindar seeming quite concerned. "Kale are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, the sensations were very strange. At the end there it's like it was triggering a memory." Kreloc walked back into sight and took a scan with the tool he had on his side.

"It's done, I would recommend getting some rest, the strain on your system was quite heavy," explained Kreloc as he tended to the wounds on Kale's wrists that had stopped bleeding. "The feeling should come back to the rest of your body any minute now. Anzar give him a pain killer in the meantime." Kale really didn't want to spend any more time sleeping but as he could feel the numbness wearing off, he could tell he was going to be in a lot of pain, his head already starting to ache. Anzar walked over to him and gave him another injection.

"Kale I'm going to send you to your new quarters via the teleporter, I will have an attendant there to see to your needs."

"Okay." Kale watched as Sindar tapped a few commands on her multitool and could feel the familiar buzz of the teleporter all over his skin as he was sent to his new quarters.

"I've tied the monitoring sensors in the human's room to my multitool but let me know if anything requires my attention. I will be in my private lab." Kreloc nodded at Sindar as she waved her arm opening a portal, she stepped in and as it closed behind her the sounds that permeated the lab stopped. She went to her workstation and began reviewing the specific scans taken while the implant was being installed. She could tell from Kale's reaction during the final installation that the memories she had worked so hard to get rid of over the past months were still there and could be accessed under certain circumstances if they weren't careful. She had tried with great difficulty to completely overwrite Kale's memory but what the humans lacked in overall mental prowess their brain made up for in resilience. Sindar had never seen a mammalian species memory center recover so quickly after alteration. The memory's she had created for him were most prominent, but he would require regular injections of a concoction she had come up with to keep the old memories from surfacing. This was at least until she could find a way to permanently suppress the old memories. Thankfully over the last months she had been able to prepare for this and using her multitool she replicated the injection needed. She would only need convince him that it was required for the stability of his new implant and she was sure he would take it without hesitation. The readings from his nervous system showed nothing unusual to what readings they had taken from the others leading up to the implantation. Kreloc had spent the better part of the last month testing on humans from the control group before she had to terminate it, they would suspect carbon monoxide poisoning.

She expected Baraketh to contact her soon for full report on her progress of which in the last month she had made plenty. The experiment on the human planet had been a success, with a ninety-five percent success rate on the control group for the chemical trials the full memory extraction was completed shortly after. Unfortunately, the information on the city ship was scarce, Kale hadn't even seen what it looked like on approach and didn't have enough of a technical understanding of the tech for them to get any coordinates from it but they at least had the lay out of the vessel's main command center. Though they did get inside intel on the councilors of the Daoran Resistance they had not known before just from him being present during discussion with them. She had also been able to experience some of their tactical training and could see firsthand how the Prince had fought. Moreover, she had found a way to potentially weaponize the humans. All they had to do was find a way to ensure partial control over them to make it reality, Sindar had experimented with a servant chip in the past, it was not far removed from possibility as had Kreloc. Her research on the Daoran nanites used in the Princes armor and Jinnar's destruction had concluded and while they hadn't yielded the exact results, she wanted she had been able to enhance the effectiveness of the Shironian energy weapons against them. The Daoran technology in Kale's phone had proven promising in simulations for getting vital system information from the Daoran AI, though the simulations couldn't necessarily predict the AI's true abilities, she was confident she could at least temporarily disable it if she needed to.

"If nothing else, you can report that the blue planet is ripe with resources for the Shironian Empire," Sindar laughed to herself. She knew that in and of itself made the trip there worth it. A spike in activity in Kale's prefrontal cortex caught her eye as the implant stimulated the brain while it reached into the connective tissue. She could also see that his sense of touch and scent had activated during this process as well. This was interesting as these specific senses did not activate in any of the simulations they ran prior, and it could mean the brain was regenerating in a way they hadn't prepared for. Sindar called up a scan of his current brain activity and gathered details from the tissue itself from the ship's internal sensors. The information appeared on the screen beside what she was currently inspecting along with a full holographic image of Kale's brain that was reacting in real time. "Nothing." Sindar almost expected to find something, if she had of there was likely a way around figuring out what caused the memory to trigger in the first place but without some sort of visible change she was out of luck for now.

"Sindar, we have incoming communication from Baraketh," said Rukon, "He wishes to speak with you." Sindar hadn't forgotten what Rukon had done, his very words had almost jeopardized all the effort and research they had put in over the last three months. They were fortunate Kale was in a disillusioned state as his words could have otherwise triggered a great deal of mistrust in him.

"Put him through to my private communication channel." Sindar stood up using her multitool to project the communication of Baraketh in front of her on a holographic screen.

"Have you found any data pertaining to the city ship yet?" asked Baraketh as soon as the communication was open.

"Hello to you too Baraketh," Sindar smiled at him knowing it would probably get under his skin.

"My patience has worn out; I know you have the data what have you found." The agitation in his voice became more evident with every word. Sindar had been extremely specific about who could view the data pulled from Kale's memories, only her and Kreloc had regular access to them. No one else. His confession on knowing of the data but not knowing what it contained helped her to rule out Kreloc as the traitor, something she had been quite positive on to begin with but was glad to have confirmation.

"It has turned up no information regarding the location of the city ship," said Sindar. Baraketh slammed his hands down in front of him and stood closer to the view screen.

"After all this time, all of these resources spent, you have nothing?" he screamed. "Nothing!" Baraketh's little display did not scare Sindar the way she knew he wanted it to, he was used to his loyal subjects falling in line at the slightest sign of discomfort from him.

"I did not say I found nothing; I found no information regarding the location of the city ship. But I believe the information contained in the memories of this human will provide us with more intel than we have seen in years, regarding tactical significance for when we do locate the ship," Sindar paused briefly waiting for him to explode again at not getting exactly what he wanted when he didn't she continued. "For instance, did you know that there are less than fifty thousand Daorans on the ship itself. Their population is dwindling, much quicker than we anticipated when we took their home world. Kale was also privy to a meeting between the Prince and the Daoran resistance leadership. We also now know the entire layout of the city ship's docking area and command center."

"This does not help us in our over arcing goal," said Baraketh his voice calming slightly.

"I assure you it will be useful. You should also know that we have almost weaponized the human. Kreloc's dark energy amplifier was installed just today and we will begin training in the coming days. The Prince will eventually find my ship, and when he does the love of his life will do for us what your soldiers couldn't. His nanites won't have a defense against dark energy. There will be nothing he can do, even if there is, I've seen their experiences together, he won't have the will." Sindar smirked at the thought of her brother's killer being killed by the man he loved she would take pleasure in watching it take place.

"Yes, and what if this human turns on you? Have you developed a defense against dark energy?" asked Baraketh. The question did catch her off guard, but she also knew that the mental warfare she had engaged in would prevent Kale from becoming hostile toward them easily.

"He won't."

"Yes, that is why you hesitated."

"If this project shows true promise we can easily create an army of humans with the ability to control dark energy," Sindar changed the subject and she knew Baraketh could tell, it wasn't often she was caught unprepared but she decided to continue anyway. "We can force them into the empire as slaves, control is not hard to exact with fear and torture, and technology." She smiled at him and the look on his face changed to one of agreeance.

"Do you have anything else you wish to report?"

"Yes actually. Look at this." Sindar sent an image of the Sol System to him before sending the memory data. "The blue plant is where the humans come from, it is ripe for the taking, seventy one percent water." Baraketh's expression seemed to remain positive.

"Seventy one percent? That's almost unheard of," he said looking at the information she had sent.

"It will need to be purified of industrial wastes but nothing the purification vessels can't deal with." The memory data had finished transmitting and he would have it shortly.

"I will have the resource council review it as soon as possible. Keep me apprised of these trials with dark energy." Baraketh ended the communication and his screen went dark. Sindar sat back down at her workstation and closed what she had been looking at, she opened a communication to Kreloc.

"Sindar, is everything okay?" he asked.

"Yes of course," she paused briefly, "Are you alone Kreloc?"

"Yes Sindar, I'm in my lab going over the human's readings."

"I was doing the same, have you developed a defense against dark energy?" Sindar let the question linger and could tell that he was looking at his research.

"Yes, I have, only minimally though since none of our enemies have ever had the ability to utilize it. I have plans for a material to be used in armor and a shield harmonic that has shown promise while exploring dark energy hot spots," he explained, "Would you like to see the research?"

"Yes, have it sent to my personal terminal. I would like you to start implementing the material in the crews body armor."

"Of course." Sindar closed the communication link and walked to her regeneration unit. She had gone almost two weeks without using it and she could feel it. Her and Kreloc had worked tirelessly over the last few weeks to remove the augmentation they had put in place for Kale to be hooked into the mnemonic data reader. It had been more complicated than she expected it to be, untangling the human nervous system from the metal implants without damaging him proved challenging. She had quite enjoyed it; it had been a long time since she had felt truly challenged by her work and it had been paying off. She activated the access hub and sat back inside of it the warm energy began pulsing through her as she leaned back and let it do its job.

Kale opened his eyes the next day having fallen asleep fighting off a serious headache. The humanoid that had been assigned to care for him had gotten him something to eat and another dose of the pain killers to numb the pain as the implant continued to settle. He sat at the workstation in his living quarters and had been staring at the injection sites on his wrists. He could barely tell that they had even done anything to him, you couldn't see them and there was minimal scar tissue. The only way to tell there was even anything there was the small pin head sized bump where they had been pushed in. He ran his hand over it silently wondering how he would learn to control dark energy with it. He could remember the Daoran's talking about how it would be similar to telekinesis. If that was the case, then the way people controlled telekinesis in all the sci-fi shows was to concentrate. He laughed quietly to himself as he contemplated trying it, it seemed so far-fetched but everything around him these days did. He had fallen in love with an alien and was now flying through space on a starship and had been injected with implants that were supposed to let him control an unseen energy that was supposedly all around them.

"Screw it." Kale grabbed one of the small statuettes that lined the shelves on the walls of his quarters and placed it in front of him. He stared intently at it for a few seconds with nothing happening. He closed his eyes and focused on the same thing, he could feel a strange sensation in his head and a strange buzzing around his hands which he had pressed flat against the table. Kale's surroundings faded into the quiet as he concentrated on what he wanted to do. He began feeling strange sensations pulsing through his arms and his neck. The implants were definitely active, but he wasn't sure if they were doing anything. He could hear the door to the room open and someone entered the room.

"Impressive," said Kreloc's voice. "I didn't expect you to practice on your own." Kale lost his concentration and opened his eyes just as the whole workstation came crashing to the ground. Luckily, Kale managed to land on his feet and looked quickly at Kreloc who stood there smiling at him.

"Whoa, that was crazy," he said. "I don't even know how I was doing it; I was actually trying to lift that decoration." Kale bent over and picked it up the figurine from the mess. "Sorry about the mess."

"Don't be, we will have it cleaned up. Come on we are going to the lab to see if we can get you a little more familiar with your implant." Kale brushed himself off and walked out into the corridor following Kreloc.

"Not gonna use the teleporter?" he asked.

"No, I figure you could use a bit of a stretch considering how long you've been still." As Kale walked through the hallway, he noticed the large guards posted outside of his door and as they walked. He hadn't recalled seeing them before and their size was unbelievable.

"Man, those guys are huge? Why are they so big?" he said quietly as he was sure he had gotten out of earshot.

"They are of the Saurian subspecies of the Shironians," said Kreloc. "They evolved on a much harsher part of our planet and their size gave them a clear advantage in dealing with predators."

"Why are all the crew so different anyway? I mean you guys all have that crest on your foreheads so it's clear you're at least related," said Kale as they walked.

"We are not different we are Shironian. There are four subspecies of Shironian. The aforementioned Saurians, my people are Reptilian, Anzar and her people are a Humanoid species and Sindar and Rukon are Wraith."

"Wait did you guys all come from the same planet? Is that common?" he asked.

"No from what we have seen there are very few instances of four species developing intelligence on the same planet. There are several theories, most commonly it is believed that our creators gave us diversity to overcome our would be enemies. Other more scientific minds believe that it was the result of the many environment biomes that exist on our planet. It is the size of your Jupiter a good deal bigger than most planets that support life." Kale found it intriguing and had several questions but decided to let him talk taking the opportunity to listen. As they stepped onto the lift Kreloc continued to talk. "The Saurians are large and strong because they had to content with hostile predators and a harsh desert environment where there was nowhere to hide. My people, the Reptilians are fast and agile because we evolved in heavily forested areas and had to hunt our food and quickly get to cover. The Humanoids come from a mountainous area of our planet where the predators are few but the hostile environment claims many, they developed the ability to reproduce quickly or face dying out due to harsh living environments with long drought." They stepped off the lift and Kale wasn't sure if Kreloc stopped talking because they were close to the lab or if he was avoiding talking about the Wraith. He decided to let it go for now, maybe it was considered impolite to talk about with outsiders. Kale noticed they weren't going to the same lab they had been in yesterday as they seemed to be in a different part of the ship.

"Different lab today?" he asked.

"Yes, we are going to a lab that has been designed specifically for dark energy interaction. It is in a part of the ship enclosed in an experimental dampening field to stop the dark energy from interacting with the ships systems. It is one of the designs during my examination of the energy itself." Kreloc explained. They continued down the corridor and eventually came to a door, Kreloc passed a device over the door and it opened into a long tightened corridor. The lighting was different and as they walked it Kale could feel as though they were passing through something the air felt different as soon as they crossed the threshold.

"Wow this place feels strange." As they got deeper in Kale could feel the implant in his neck begin to agitate. They exited the corridor into a vast open dome like room. Kale could see several workstations set up along the walls and a clear test area.

"This is where we will show you how to use the implants. Come over here." Kale couldn't help but notice that Sindar was absent as was Rukon. He made note of Anzar as a familiar face but otherwise there was two Saurians and a couple more Reptilian scientists posted around. "Set up the basic concentration test." Kale watched as several large crates were teleported in and he was starting to get excited at the prospect of what he was about to get into. "Okay Kale, come and stand right here." Kreloc walked to a spot that was marked on the floor at the front of the test area just ahead of where the crates were. "See if you can use your implants to lift these crates." Kale nodded and looked at each of the crates picking the closest one to him. He began concentrating like he had before closing his eyes and keeping his hands at his sides. He did this for several minutes with nothing happening, he tried to recall what he felt before.

"Nothing's happening. Any tips," he said almost feeling embarrassed as all the scientists seemed to be watching him.

"Focus on the air around you and use the muscles you can feel the implants connected to. Do not forget that the implants are designed to all work together, you must use your hands to direct and manipulate the energy to where you want it to go." Kale recalled that in the room when he made the table levitate, he had his hands firmly pressed against it. "And keep your eyes open you need to be able to see what you're doing." Kreloc smiled at him and Kale refocused his efforts. He did as he was told thinking on the air around him and focusing on where he could feel the main implant in his body. He felt a buzzing that travelled down his arm and couldn't help but feel as though it was incredibly familiar. He started to feel a pain building in the back of his head and tilted his head slightly to adjust. "You have to release it once you build it up," Kreloc instructed. Kale pushed both hands forward and up sending one of the crates hurling up in the air. He immediately felt a weight from his shoulders and went to one knee. "We did not expect you to make this kind of progress right away." Kale smiled at Kreloc through heavy breaths and looked up the crate was one hundred feet in the air and still slowly rising. It floated for another four seconds before plummeting to the ground and shattering.

"What a rush," he said, "Can I try again?" Kreloc looked at Anzar who Kale could safely assume was monitoring his vitals. She gave Kreloc a positive nod and he smiled.

"Of course, feel free to get creative." Kale concentrated again and as he felt the reaction in his implant, he released the energy through one hand this time causing the lift to be less violent and a little more controlled. As it floated this time, he moved his hand in different directions to see how much control he would have over direction, sending it left then right and even catching it as it started to fall again. It wasn't long before he started to think of the energy as an extension of his hand. He practiced for almost an hour pushing and pulling the crates around the test area before he had to stop. Kreloc didn't want him to overdo it fearing that too much exertion might destabilize the freshly installed technology. Kreloc showed him his vitals and it seemed that using the implants lowered his blood sugars and he'd have to eat more until his body became used to the strain. "I'm convinced that this will be like any good muscle, Kale. The more you use it the more you will be able to use it. Let's keep it simple in the meantime." Kreloc passed Kale something he had gotten from the nearby food synthesizer.

"That's fair, I don't wanna overdo it. When the time comes, I need to be able to use it to its full extent," said Kale.

"That is the goal here. Now I believe Sindar wanted to see you when we were done. I have to deliver my report to her." Kale nodded and Kreloc led the way. As they walked Kale looked down at the package of food in his hand, he felt slightly lightheaded and slowed his pace, Kreloc kept with him as he walked. He opened the package and took some of the contents, whatever it was the taste and texture resembled tree nuts he had eaten from back home.

"These're good. What are they?" Kale held up the package thinking there might be something to read on it but there was nothing.

"They're a Daoran nut actually. Our synthesizer doesn't have the proper proteins available to create human food, so Daoran food will have to do for now. It was the closest thing we could match to your data." Kale found it surprising but didn't really care good food was good food he ate the rest of the package and felt better almost right away. They took a right turn into a different room; Kale recognized the teleporter room right away as Kreloc stepped onto the base of the machine.

"Why do we need the teleporter?" he asked.

"It's easier this way. Sindar is in the lower labs testing out some different types of weaponry I believe. They're five decks below us."

"Fair enough." Kale walked up onto the base next to Kreloc and once he was in position the teleporter activated taking them to the next lab. As Kale got there, he heard a scream come from somewhere in the room that startled him. He looked around quickly not seeing anything right away, he looked at Kreloc who seemed unphased by the sound. They proceeded into the lab; they had been placed in the observation deck. Sindar was stationed at the main observation window looking down on something, she did not react at their approach. Kale walked up to the window to see what was going on. As he looked down through the window, he could see a Reptilian holding a strange looking weapon and what appeared to be a prisoner of another species Kale didn't recognize. He watched as the Reptilian fired the weapon at the prisoner whom on closer inspection was chained to the floor. It let out another cry in pain as the weapon hit him. "What are they doing? What is that person?" The Reptilian fired on him again.

"He is an Indarien. They are terrorists," said Sindar with very cold inflection, "This one was caught at one of our off world facilities trying to destroy a facility responsible for feeding millions. So, our leader has given him to me to develop an effective weapon against them." Sindar opened her multitool as the Reptilian fired again. "They have an incredibly high tolerance for pain and very thick skin, most of our regular weapons barely phase them even in higher power thresholds."

"Seems like that one is doing quite well against him…" Kale didn't like seeing someone tortured for weapons testing but if he did what she said he did then it wasn't his business to say otherwise.

"He had been faking his reaction believe it or not." The Indarien let out a scream again. "Not this time though." Sindar used her communicator. "Okay that's enough with that one, bring out the Daoran, I wanna see if that dampening field will work against their implants!" she ordered. Kale watched as a Saurian walked to the Indarien and removed it from the area. Sindar turned to the two of them and smiled.

"You have a Daoran here?" he asked. The inquiry went unanswered as Kreloc took out his scanner and seemed to be uploading the information to Sindar's multitool.

"How did your first session go?" she asked.

"Incredibly well, the human performed a good deal better than was expected right away. We had to stop to avoid any unnecessary strain on the implant and his nervous system. He's already able to move objects with just the wave of a hand," explained Kreloc.

"I look forward to reading your report Kreloc, you've done well." Sindar used her multitool to scan Kale as she spoke and looked at the results quickly. "Kale it would seem that the implants are slightly out of alignment."

"Is that really bad?" he asked.

"More of a minor hindrance than anything but it could become serious. Do not be worried, we were prepared for this, I have developed a solution to stop any damage from this until we can decipher a permanent fix for it." Sindar removed a vial from a pouch on her side and inserted it into an injector tool. "This will not hurt." Sindar pressed it to his neck and injected him with the liquid. "You will need to take this every twenty four hours until we can find a permanent solution."

"Okay, that's fine." Kale was surprised that he didn't feel anything as it was injected. Kreloc and Sindar began talking and Kale walked away to see what they were about to do to the next prisoner. They brought him out onto the testing ground and Kale was shocked to see that it was a child. He was much younger than Kale was expecting to see, and he could tell from looking that he was malnourished. He didn't look like he could be any older than ten years old, Kale immediately knew he couldn't let this happen. "Sindar, is that a child?" Sindar and Kreloc continued their discussion. "Sindar!" Sindar turned her head slowly to look at him a look of surprise on her face. "Are you testing a weapon on a child?"

"The child's implant is much more resilient than that of an adult for some reason. The dampening field…" Sindar began.

"You're testing a weapon on a child and you don't see anything wrong with that?" Kale felt sick to his stomach at what she was saying.

"Yes, he's a Daoran, Kershala's brother actually… he is as much guilty as his family in the eyes of the Shironian Empire." The mention of Kershala's name made Kale hesitate to take the discussion any further thinking back to Jinnar's family and what he had done. He looked back as they chained him to the floor when the child looked up at him and seemed to recognize him. Kale could see it in his eyes.

"Sindar, don't do this. Don't your people have any rules of war, this isn't right."

"The only rule of war is that you do whatever it takes to win." Sindar walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. Kale pulled away from her, horrified at the statement he couldn't believe they were about to torture a child. He looked for a door that led down to the testing area and headed for it quickly. Sindar never tried to stop him and he didn't' know what he was going to do once he got down there but it wasn't long before he was standing on the testing ground as the Reptilian activated the dampening field from a console nearby. Kale sat and watched as the child went to his knees and slowly fell to the ground, every instinct in his body was telling him to stop what was happening. He looked at the Reptilian then back to the child.

"It works you can stop now right?" he asked. The operator ignored Kale and watched without emotion as the child's eyes filled with tears and reached for Kale. He wondered why he wasn't crying out in pain, but he could see it in his eyes. Kale could feel tears forming in his own eyes. "Come on stop it." Kale slowly walked out on to the testing ground and knelt by the child taking his hand, a certain familiarity laid in his tiny hand.

"Kale get out of there we don't know if the field will damage your implant," yelled Kreloc as he and Sindar walked to the edge of the testing ground. Kale could hear the breath of the child crying and he could tell he was in great pain.

"Sindar if you won't stop this I will."

"Kale we are under orders the tests must go on," she said. Kale hated the words under orders recalling that some of the most horrific things done to people in the past were by people who were just following orders. He made eye contact with Kreloc and looked at the Reptilian who was operating the machinery. Something happened to Kale and he could feel his implant reacting, but he could suddenly see how the dampening field was rippling through the energy in the room he could see it coming from the machine. He reached his hand out to the machine and could feel the buzzing all along his arm.

"I warned you…" He could feel a heavy strain on his mind, but he didn't care he slowly closed his hand to form a fist watching the machine crumble into a ball as he did so until it shut off. As he stopped, he felt sweat beading on his forehead, and he felt so dizzy he fell to the ground next to the child who still held his hand. He hit the ground facing the child who looked at him tears streaking both their faces. The Daoran reached out and touched his face wiping away a tear, Kale could see the gratefulness in the kid's eyes, and he felt better knowing he had eased his suffering even if only temporary. The Saurian guard walked over and picked the child up he gripped Kale's hand so tight he felt himself rising with him as the large guard picked him up. Kale fell back to the ground but managed to keep himself to one knee.

"Kreloc take Kale back to his living quarters." Sindar spoke calmly but Kale could tell she was probably furious. Kreloc walked over and helped him up rather roughly and they walked off the testing area. He grabbed Sindar's hand and stopped beside her.

"I'm sorry, you can't do this you are better than that… only a child."

"I will be up to speak with you later," said Sindar.

Kreloc took Kale back to his quarters and left him there on the bed. It had been a few hours and the pain killer they had given him had worn off and Kale was feeling incredible pain. Pain like he had never felt before, it brought him to tears, he couldn't even open his eyes and even the hum of the ship's operation made it worse. He laid there hoping the servant would be by soon so he could get some of the medication they had given him before. Laying there, Kale had no regrets even with his hatred of Kershala he couldn't justify torturing his kid brother, it just wasn't in him and he knew that Jinnar wouldn't have condoned such a heinous act. He could only imagine why Sindar would do so, but she was a scientist and in times of war science was among the most brutal. Kale shifted to be laying on his back tilting his head back and breathing slowly with his mouth open trying to focus the pain away but to no avail. He brought his hands up to his head and even the warmth of his own skin seemed to feel like burning. He suddenly remembered his grandmother and how she used to help him through his migraines as a teenager. She would take a cold face cloth and lay it over his face, he didn't know if it ever actually worked for the pain, but it felt good. Kale heard the door open and felt the air shift as someone entered the room even the slight pressure shift was painful.

"Good god tell me you're here to give me a shot of that pain killer," Kale did everything he could not to cry as he spoke the agony shifting through his entire body. He let out a deep breath as he felt an injector placed to his neck, he felt it fire and within seconds the pain had all but stopped. He opened his eyes to look at his would be savior still breathing erratically, he expected to see his humanoid caretaker, but it was Sindar. She didn't seem to have an angry look on her face as he expected after he destroyed that machine and defied her, but her expression was rather subdued.

"How are you feeling?" she asked calmly.

"Better now," Kale sat up slowly as he spoke slight discomfort remaining as he leaned against the wall, "That's the most pain I've been in, in my life. That must be some strong stuff your giving me."

"Yes well, it is a numbing agent with reparative elements." Sindar paused for a moment and Kale wasn't sure where the conversation was about to go. "About earlier, Kale. You must understand that this ship is a warship, we are at war," she began, "Therefore you must expect to see research that will forward our war effort. You must not interfere with them." Kale thought for a minute about what she was saying, and he could never see himself letting something like what he witnessed happen. He'd have to change her mind.

"I'm sorry Sindar, but no matter how bad war gets, you can't justify torturing a child," Sindar's expression didn't change Kale felt as though she was at least hearing him out, "On my planet, war happens a lot and I know that I can't say children haven't been hurt during our wars, what I'm saying is that it's wrong. There's an entire code on my planet about war and children have the right to protection from abuse and exploitation. Our society isn't as evolved as yours, I know that, but I won't stand idly by let that happen. I can't, it's not in my being." Kale paused hoping Sindar would say something. "If you need to continue that way then I want you to drop me back on my home planet…"

"Kale don't be foolish, Kershala will find you and kill you. I'd be doing my brother a disservice if I were to abandon you," she said trying to give him a comforting smile.

"And you think what you were doing earlier doesn't?" he asked.

"Kale it's not that simple."

"Why not? Just don't do it. Find another way to test your weapon. If you're at war, there must be plenty of combat going on." Sindar looked away from him and seemed to be thinking of her next course of action. "I can't fight for you, if I don't believe you to be right… you may as well take back your implants and find another human to do this for you."

"Okay, Kale. No more experiments on the child for the time being." She looked at him again something in her eyes bothered Kale, but he couldn't place it. "I cannot promise that we will stop indefinitely but for the time being we will stop." Kale sighed and internal sigh of relief.

"Thank you and can you guys feed him more. I've never seen a Daoran child before, but he looks malnourished."

"That will be remedied with time, he came to us like that."

"Okay." Kale only half believed her, but he chose not to engage with it any further he had gotten what he wanted and that was enough for now. "Should we get back to practicing?"

"No, the pain you were feeling earlier tells us that your nervous system is still having trouble acclimating to the implants. We would like to leave it for at least a couple of days before another session. We would like to engage in some reparative therapy during that period as well." Sindar tapped something on her multitool and a Reptilian entered the room with a machine that almost resembled a VR headset and a small box.

"What's this?" asked Kale as the Reptilian stopped at the entry way.

"The headpiece is the machine that will speed up repairs of your nervous system, the small box are the implants I promised you for your eyes. They will change the color spectrum you see to make it easier on you while you are here." Sindar took the box first from the scientist and popped it open. "I designed them to be like human contact lenses, they will also automatically translate different written languages into one your brain will understand." She took one of the lenses from the box with her slender finger and held his eye open with her free hand, inserting one than the other. Kale blinked and the colors in the room changed to a softer blue and green hue.

"Crazy, this is how you guys see everything?" he asked.

"Not quite the same but very close." Sindar stood up and took the headpiece from the Reptilian. "You may go Gazek." The Reptilian nodded and left the room. "Here we go." Sindar pressed a couple of buttons on the machine and it lit up with several colors. "Sit forward, we are going to put this on while you sleep for a bit."

"I'm not really tired." He had only been up for a few hours in total and didn't feel like sleeping just yet.

"That's okay, this will stimulate melatonin production in your brain, it needs you to be asleep for it to work properly." Kale didn't like the thought of sleeping for a couple of days again, he felt like he just got back on his feet and didn't really have the chance to accomplish much.

"Is there any way I can just sleep when I'm tired?" he asked.

"Yes, you can but it will take a great deal longer for you to recover, we are talking in terms of days versus weeks, Kale." Kale let out a sigh, the thought of a long painful recovery was worse than what she was proposing but he didn't have to like it.

"Go ahead." He let out a sigh as Sindar placed the machine on his head. It was quite a bit lighter than it looked, he barely felt as though he was wearing a hat on his head. Sindar adjusted it and tightened it on his head, he laid back on the bed and suddenly felt incredibly tired. It wasn't long before he was off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was exactly where he wanted to be, he used his implant to scan the command center. Four humanoids, two reptilians and three saurian brutes including the ships commander were at their stations around the room. The ship shook lightly as the Sironia kept up its assault. Kershala crawled over to an access hatch that would drop him right in the center of the room, he violently and quickly broke the hatch off and as he dropped down his implant told him that the entire room had shifted focus to him. His daggers formed in his hands as he hit the floor, he launched the daggers at two of the humanoids killing them immediately. He recalled the daggers and bounded into the air, before launching them again as he managed to twist and turn around weapons fire.

"Jelani get us back on course to the city ship, best possible speed," ordered Atondra, "Omall I need a damage report as soon as you are able. Elara get Rotabu patched up quickly we may need his skills at tactical. Lenari, take Kershala to his quarters. He is of no use to us in his current state. Stay with him." Kershala still sat with his back against the console with Lenari beside him it had been mere minutes since they dropped out of FTL and let Kale be taken away. He hung his head and rested one arm on his knee. His suit was still active as he sat there but the helmet was retracted. He could hear the crew moving about behind him as they followed Atondra's orders. Lenari did not move instead rested a gentle hand on the back of his neck. He found himself feeling exhausted both physically and mentally after the loss of Kale. The tears had stopped flowing for now, but the emotions still ran wild in his head.

"Kershala can you come with me?" asked Lenari comfort seemed to emanate from his voice. Kershala looked over at him and could see the worry in his young features. Lenari touched his cheek with the back of his hand wiping away at dried tears. Kershala looked away then slowly rose to his feet, Lenari got up quickly and stood beside him. He walked slowly to the entry way to the command center and stopped as the automatic door opened. He turned his head to look at the crew as they worked. They were engaged in their orders and not paying attention to him.

"I am sorry… Atondra." He spoke quietly but her noble nod of acknowledgement told him she could hear him. Lenari stepped through the door ahead of Kershala and beckoned him, he took a few steps forward and the door shut.

The group Kershala had been working with in combat training had left about an hour ago and Kershala found himself sparing with Lenari. The last few weeks had only been bearable because of Lenari's refusal to leave his side, Kershala hadn't been out of his sight once since he lost Kale other than in his attempt to take the Arktora's vessel. He had spent extra time with Lenari and trying to help him hone his combat skills, but it did not come naturally to him they way it had to Kershala at his age.

"Come on Lenari, I know you are better than this," said Kershala throwing a couple of upper body blows Lenari's way that landed easier than they should have. "If you do not learn to anticipate your opponent's actions you will never get any better." The next few hits Lenari partially blocked, Kershala felt that maybe if the stakes were higher than he would have more motivation to learn. He recalled his father during his own training who would hit him with real force and if he didn't learn to block or dodge it the pain would remind him to next time. He hit him again this time harder than before; he could see Lenari's surprise at the impact. They were both sweating, Kershala from the heat of the city ships weather system and Lenari from the workout Kershala had been coaxing him through for the last hour. He swung again this time Lenari dodged the incoming hit and managed to suffer only a nick on the arm. Kershala became steadily more aggressive in his posture hitting faster and harder as he went. "You see, now you are getting it."

"Kershala slow down," said Lenari blocking then dodging several swipes.

"The Shironian's will not slow down." Kershala threw several more attacks that landed hard he could tell Lenari was getting frustrated when he attempted to counterattack and failed. Kershala landed one more blow before bounding over Lenari and coming to the ground with a hand on his shoulder and slamming him to the ground. Lenari wore a practise garment designed to protect against impact and a forcefield formed preventing him from hitting the ground too hard but Kershala could tell he felt it.

"Yield," Lenari called quickly not sure if Kershala was going to maintain his attack pace. He was ready to stop as well feeling that Lenari had gotten quicker once he raised the stakes. Lenari lay there looking up at him breathing heavy with sweat running down his forehead. Kershala extended a hand to him and lifted him to his feet.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, the only thing bruised is my ego," said Lenari. "Tell me I have at least gotten slightly better."

"I will admit, Lenari, you are learning slower than I anticipated, hand to hand does not come natural to you." Lenari looked down at the ground then back at him Kershala could see a look of defeat showing in his face.

"Yailar's combat style is so different than anything I have ever done before. I am not an accomplished warrior like you Kershala." Kershala looked at Lenari, his eyes showing true defeat.

"I was not an accomplished warrior when Yailar taught it to me." Lenari let out a sigh. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You are getting better. I will have the AI make Yailar's texts available to you for download. Perhaps if you learn the theory it will become clearer." Kershala took a sanitation cloth from the nearby rack and wiped his face, Lenari did the same and they headed for the exit. It was later in the evening and they would head to Kershala's quarters to eat and then sleep.

Kershala opened his eyes and sat up quickly his breathing erratic and his mind unfocused a powerful fear seem to overtake him from nowhere and he knew that Kale was experiencing something terrible again. Over the last month or so he had woken up seemingly out of a bad dream of which he had no memory with an inexplicable fear flooding his emotions. He could hear a voice in his head that of which he was sure was the Scientist, he was sure she was doing something to Kale and thought he was hearing her through their connection but it had been dismissed by the AI and Elara both as not possible. They told him that he was likely experiencing his worst fears brought to life by his own mind but Kershala knew that was not what it was. He looked next to him and Lenari was still sleeping there. He stood up and walked out onto the balcony it was a couple hours yet before the artificial sun would rise, and the wards were mostly dark. He leaned forward on the railing and looked out over the cityscape before him. He could easily see the downtown areas were still lit as the nightlife carried on, something he wanted to show Kale when they got back from their mission. The Daoran nightlife could get quite exciting from what he had learned from the archive only recently. Flashing lights, upbeat music and holographics were prominently featured, enhanced by herbal mixtures that would activate the senses in ways he would not think possible. He knew Kale would have loved to see that side of the culture.

The memory of him being taken was still fresh in Kershala's head even after the month it had been since they made it back to the Typhonus. The Sironia had since been grounded to undergo extensive repairs. After Kale had been taken, they spent the next seven days fleeing several Shironian stalker vessels, ships with enhanced tracking abilities and sensors. The ship took heavy damage in at least two fire fights with their hunters. Kershala had been an incapacitated mess for the duration of the escape, Lenari hadn't left his side during the entire time the ship was under siege. They had hidden in and out of several nebula's while trying to evade the Shironians. It had been close several times, the crew at points were certain they weren't going to make it through, but Atondra got them through it with the help of the AI.

For the first while Kershala had been emotionally incapacitated having felt that he lost the one person who completed him. Kershala never thought he'd ever find someone he'd become so attached to so deeply. This connection was ever present in the coming days once they had been so far apart, their bond had been broken by the way in which Kale was taken from him at least partially and for several days Kershala's emotional trauma wasn't all he had to contend with. His mind ached from the separation to the point he could barely function not knowing if he was safe or not. He didn't sleep well even now requiring an injection to help him rest at night. There were times when Kershala would get flashes of emotion that he was sure were coming from Kale, fear and sadness being the most prominent. These flashes had proven distracting and almost incapacitating at times, this prevented him from being able to mount any sort of rescue attempt. When he first got back to the Typhonus he had tried to take the Arktora's vessel to go look for Kale. He had made it aboard the ship with the AI's reluctant help but once he got there he had the worst of the emotional attacks he's had giving Lenari and Omall time to come aboard the ship and stop him from leaving. Another week passed before he was able to even leave the living quarters he had been provided.

Since then Atondra had approached him to teach some of the resistance members his fighting style and make them more effective in combat since no one on the city ship had his combat prowess. Kershala knew it was a way to distract him in the end, but he was thankful for it. Other than Lenari, she was the only member of the Sironia's crew that still spoke to him and he couldn't blame them. His actions had almost doomed them all. He would see them during his day to day and they would purposely ignore him. Elara spoke only on his condition as his doctor beyond that she was cold to him.

Even while training the resistance soldiers he never stopped thinking about Kale the whole time. He knew he wasn't in the shape he needed to be to go after him something he felt that Kale's influence had taught him. His younger self would have probably already been captured and killed by the Shironian's. As much as part of him hated it he knew that his mental state was not good enough to mount a rescue mission. Elara had been working on a way to chemically supress these attacks but for a Daoran, emotional suppression was unheard of.

"Are you okay?" he heard from behind. Lenari walked up beside him and put his hands on the railing.

"Another of my worst fears…" Lenari knew that Kershala didn't believe what the others were telling him and would understand his words.

"Awe, I'm sorry." Lenari leaned in close and rested his head on his bicep. "Anything I can do?" Lenari had been so good to him always putting his emotional well being before anything else. Kershala stayed silent and turned his head to Lenari, the sweet scent of kralar fruit emanated from his curly hair. He knew that the youth had developed a strong emotional attachment to him since they met but more so in the last month or so. His gentle presence often brought great calm to Kershala when he felt like he did now.

"You are here, that is enough." Lenari looked up at him and smiled.

"Good, then I will be here." The two of them sat in quiet for a little more than an hour just watching the city scape. When this happened Kershala would often pace through his emotions in silence. Lenari knew what he was going through and often just sat in waiting holding his hand or threading an arm through his. There was a knock at the door and Lenari went to answer it, Kershala had gotten through his episode and it was strange for someone to be at the door this late. The AI had been in standby mode sitting in the recreation room since the night before.

"It is one of councillor Bilan's guards," said the AI in Kershala personal channel. Kershala thought it weird and followed Lenari to the door. As it opened the guard was familiar, Ashara stood there.

"Hello Kershala, Lenari," she nodded to each of them in acknowledgement. "Councillor's Bilan and Alarai would like to speak with you regarding the data pulled from the Arktora's vessel. The data Kershala and Anubis had originally gotten from the Arktora's ship was vast and complex. Both Anubis and the Typhonus AI had been instructed to catalogue it, though Kershala had Anubis take it on as a secondary duty. It appeared that the Typhonus AI had gotten through the bulk of it and they were ready to start looking at the relevant information. "They are assembling in the Council Chamber and would like to see you as soon as possible."

"We will get ready and head over right away," said Kershala.

"I will let them know you are on your way." Ashara turned to leave and Lenari closed the door behind her. They went back into the bedroom and Kershala took a uniform from the storage area, Lenari put on some casual clothing and they were shortly heading out the door.

"What do you think they finally found?" asked Lenari.

"Most likely several locations of interest to the Arktora, with any luck we can find out where the rest of them are and start dealing with them individually before they find us." The AI hovered along side them as they walked.

"I cannot see what they have found. The Typhonus has locked the information," it said.

"Why would they do that?" asked Lenari.

"The information is classified, and they want to assure it is only disseminated to those that require it," explained Kershala. They came to the public transport and Anubis already had a unit waiting for them, they climbed in and it wasn't long before they were at the doors to the Council Chamber. Alarai, Bilan and Atondra had gathered at the center of the room around a holographic war table. They looked up from what they were reviewing as they entered the room.

"Kershala, thank you for coming so quickly," said Bilan. Kershala noticed that the council members rarely acknowledged Lenari and often didn't speak to him. To them he was just one of the low-ranking sorts that served their cause. He and Lenari had spoken about it before as Kershala wanted to confront them but Lenari didn't see the point so he let it be.

"Of course, Bilan. I know this is important," said Kershala nodding to each of the others at the table. Atondra smiled at him and Lenari both. "Was there any additional information about the Scientists ship movements?" Right now, this was the only thing Kershala genuinely cared about, he had to get Kale back the rest would come after."

"Yes, it would appear that Jinnar, the Arktora you killed and the Scientist… Sindar rendezvoused several times in the months leading up to his coming to Earth, it would seem…" Atondra spoke.

"The information is too old to be relevant it is not useful," Alarai interrupted her. Atondra snapped a quick glare his way at being interrupted. Kershala knew that she understood that Kale was the most important thing for him to worry about, but the Council and especially Alarai did not see it as a priority. "We found that most of the information regarding the Shirona Arktora had been corrupted once the ships cyberwarfare suite was destroyed. Anubis and the Typhonus were able to reconstruct several parts of it regarding their family information and origins." Alarai explained then paused, the mans face grew troubled as he took a breath.

"The information we found out regarding their origins years ago we have discovered was a plant," Bilan took over, "There are no Sects and there would seem not to be as many as we previously suspected."

"Isn't that good news though?" asked Lenari. His query went unheard as the elder continued.

"They mostly belong to a single family. Jinnar the Warrior, as he was known, is the older brother of Sindar, the butcher we have come to know as the scientist. She appears to be solely responsible for the extensive modifications they have undergone to create the weapons of destruction they have become," Bilan continued. The sound of the scientist's name filled him with rage as he thought of what she was likely doing to Kale to cause him the pain Kershala had been feeling through their link. "Baraketh the Hunter also appears to be one of them though we do not believe him to be a direct blood relative." The mere mention of the name brought Kershala back to the moment his family's ship was destroyed he must have been wearing the anguish on his face as he felt Lenari discreetly touch his hand. "Sindar and Jinnar are Wraith, meaning they are already incredible dangerous on their own, but with the modifications they reach a new level of threat. Further information on Baraketh could not be retrieved."

"I can defeat them," said Kershala, "I fought Jinnar and won, the only reason it was so difficult was because my suit had not completely recovered from my previous encounter with Baraketh's soldiers." Kershala could tell the anger was resonating in his voice but he couldn't control it. "Give me his ship, once I find Kale, I will find them each and make them pay for every Daoran life they have taken."

"We cannot afford to be reckless here Kershala," said Alarai, "We must have a plan of attack and we first need to find the Scientists ship before we can even consider that as an option." Kershala was growing irritated with Alarai, the diplomat in him was starting to become weaker as his patience for the man fell away. Atondra could see this as she took the floor.

"The Sironia will be finished its repairs in only another day and we will be setting out again. Qunaren, the commander of the Illium has been running extensive sensor sweeps of deep space looking for a match to the configuration of the ship that took Kale," she said, "He has sent me some telemetry to check out once we get back out there."

"Thank you Atondra, give Qunaren my thanks as well." Kershala knew the Illium as one of the Laurentian class ships that scouted the city ships travel routes, they had stopped in for maintenance only a week ago.

"Yes, I will also have to thank Qunaren," said Alarai with a bout of sarcasm in his voice.

"Stop quarrelling we have more to discuss," said Bilan. Alarai nodded to the elder council member as he used the interface on the war table. "Though I do not support your relationship with the human Kershala, I know the plight of feeling helpless to save the one you love and will not stand in your way when the time comes to save him. Lareela and I will support you, but the timing must be right. With the next part of the information, we are to discuss, I believe you will have more reason to be going after Sindar." Kershala was confused at the statement but waited patiently as Bilan caught his breath before speaking. Ashara walked up to the old man and scanned him, he swatted at the machine in frustration. "Get that thing out of here, I'm fine," he continued. "Kershala it would appear that when Baraketh took your family from you, he first attempted to teleport them to his ship, according to logs his plan was to use them to lure you back to him. Your mother, the smart women she was," Kershala was proud at the thought of his mother fighting to the end to keep her children from their demon pursuer, "stopped him but not before Tenaris was taken from the ship." Kershala felt his legs going weak under him at the mention of Tenaris, he immediately thought back to Jinnar. I believe you will be reunited with your family once there. He slowly sat down on the floor overcome with emotion, happiness, anger, and sadness striking him all at once as he sat on the floor. Lenari knelt down beside him and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Tenaris, he's alive…" Bilan continued.

"It would appear that Jinnar transported Tenaris to the ship of the scientist before heading to earth."

"She has Tenaris…" Kershala breathed, he had lost his breath at the shock. "This whole time." Kershala could only think of all the horrible things Sindar could have been doing to his brother. Kershala stood up abruptly and deployed his suit. He could barely feel his actions anymore as his body seemed to be running on autopilot. "Anubis extract the information regarding Sindar's ship, we are leaving." Kershala began walking toward the doorway.

"Kershala, we must save Tenaris, but we cannot do it alone," said Anubis. Atondra ran and stood in front of him he stopped and looked at her.

"Kershala, you must wait, the Sironia will be ready in less than twenty-four hours, we will help you search for her," Atondra's eyes were stern but supportive but he couldn't wait he looked to the AI that hovered near him. Lenari had run up to be beside him.

"Have you extracted the information yet?" he asked.

"The Typhonus AI has blocked the information, I am not able to access it." Kershala knew Anubis could get the information as it was far more advanced than the on-board AI. Kershala looked back at the counsellors as they stood at the war table.

"You will have the AI allow Anubis access or it will be forced to do so."

"Kershala you must know that if I am forced to do so that it will likely cripple the Typhonus AI and thus disable the city ship."

"You cannot just decide what we do with this information or the Arktora's vessel," said Alarai stepping forward. Kershala could tell that he was readying for combat. "It means too much to the resistance I will not let you take it." Alarai took another couple of steps closer.

"Of course I can, I am the one who retrieved it for you," Kershala turned to face him. "Would you attack another Daoran?"

"Would you destroy the one thing keeping thousands of us safe?" Bilan walked as quick as he could to Kershala and stood between him and Alarai.

"They have my brother and the love of my life, you cannot understand how it feels to be this helpless, knowing your loved ones suffer so far away."

"Fine if you are to kill us all for your selfish pursuit remove your helmet and let me look you in the eye as you do it!" Bilan's passion was ever present in his voice every raspy word hit like a punch to the face but Kershala didn't care there was no way any of them could be feeling as he was. If he wanted to see his eyes, he would let him. He stayed stern as the nanites crawled back from his face and into his implant.

"Now release the data." Kershala wasn't ready when Bilan reached up to touch his face, he could feel their implants talking to each other and the energy began to buzz. Kershala could feel his markings begin to light up as did the ones on Bilan's face. He felt frozen in place as Bilan took his hand placing it over his implant and in a few seconds Kershala was receiving a memory from the elder.

He watched as a young Bilan fought several Shironian's and could hear a young woman screaming. A sudden flash of pain as Bilan took a hit as he watched the young women be carried away by one of the Saurian brutes. A great worry come over him as Bilan bounded over the reptilian he spared with and took to running only in time to watch as the brute was teleported with his prisoner away from the fight. He felt the defeat and helplessness flood over him in a wave of emotions as the women was taken. Rhia, his lover had been taken from him. A flash of darkness just as Bilan fell to the ground and then the setting was different, Bilan and a friend, a fellow soldier searched a burned-out dwelling. Bilan was now around the same age as Yailar. They crawled through the charred ashes of the building and came to a room very quickly where several burned small bodies were hovered together. It didn't take long as the emotional transference hit him to realize what he was looking at. Bilan immediately broke down, the other soldier rushing to his side. Bilan had four grandchildren, their bodies lie before him huddled together in fear the Shironians had burned the building down. A flash of rage and sadness like he had never felt before crashed into his chest and burned like a fire rushing through his mind as it had with Bilan. The link was suddenly broken, and he could see Bilan staring in front of him as he had been. Tears broke in both of their eyes and the sadness over Kale and Tenaris had left him but Bilan's had flooded his mind. He felt weakness coming over him and fell into an embrace from the old man who easily held him to his feet.

"You see young one, my family line is long dead, and you have just seen the end of it. Now tell me again that I do not know what you go through." The rasp in Bilan's voice was stronger as he spoke through his sadness.

"I… am so sorry…" Kershala cried into the old man's shoulder, "I should not have been so ignorant. We have all lost." Kershala felt Bilan's hand rubbing the back of his head and was reminded of his Gaban and the comfort he would bring him. "Please forgive my actions."

"You are young, and you are in love. I am old, but I remember what that felt like, it will not be held against you," Bilan's words were gentle and comforting. "You must let us do this right, I promise you, I will not let this council leave your brother or… Kale with the Shironians." Bilan pushed from the embrace to look Kershala in the eye. "Will you see reason?" he asked.

"Yes." Kershala nodded as Bilan took a step back and smiled back at him.

"Of course you will, you are your mother's son." Bilan turned and walked back to the table. "The Typhonus will make the information available to Anubis, take time and review it. We will discuss how to proceed with Atondra while you occupy yourself." Kershala couldn't help but feel like a spoiled child after the way he acted, he couldn't help but think of how Kale might think of him having seen that he was willing to sacrifice so many people to go after him. Kale didn't want him to risk the crew of the Sironia like he had let alone the entire population that lived on the Typhonus. "Lenari please take him back to his dwelling. Anubis if you are able we could use your assistance."

"Of course, Bilan." Kershala watched as the AI hovered over to the war table.

"Yes, Bilan," Lenari tried to hide the excitement of from his voice at the fact that Bilan knew his name, to this point they had never acknowledged him. He walked over to Kershala and put his hand on his shoulder, his armor was cold to the touch as he looked at him. "Are you okay? It's only another day." Kershala nodded staying quiet as his nanite suit retreated into his implant. As they took to walking Lenari couldn't help but think of how close he felt to Kershala over the last month. When they first met, he respected him because of his father's deeds but now, he had really gotten to know his heart. He was naïve but greatly intelligent, a warrior but gentle and fiercely loyal to both his family and friends. Lenari had taken it upon himself to become his guardian during these trying times. In the last couple of weeks, he had witness Kershala at what he was sure was his lowest. His link with Kale almost seemed to be torturing him as he seemed aware of every painful emotion that Kale had experienced. His personality was infectious, Lenari tried desperately to remain professional and treat him as he would any suffering patient but there was no denying his heart had wanted for him. The problem was he was sure he would never feel the same for him his devotion to Kale was strong and Lenari respected it. Even though Daoran families weren't typically monogamous, Kershala's family line had always been so and as he understood it so were humans. "Would you like to try and get some sleep?" he asked. Truth be known Lenari was tired as well. Kershala had often not been able to sleep and Lenari refused to let him suffer alone so he often sat with him.

"That would be a good idea," said Kershala as they stepped outside. The sunlight was peaking over the horizon as they headed for the transit system. Lenari used his implant to call for a pod and it wasn't long before it arrived, they climbed it and sat with a younger couple with a small child on their way to the living space. Kershala sat with his head down sadness permeated his presence but Lenari wasn't sure if it was because of what he had been shown by Bilan or if it was that his brother had been taken by the scientist.

"What did Bilan show you? I was sure we were about to go steal that ship and take off to save Kale and Tenaris," said Lenari trying to show Kershala that he was with him no matter the decision, it was his to make. Kershala looked at him and a small smile worked its way across his lips.

"Thank you, Lenari. It is good to know I was not alone in my foolishness," he spoke quietly. "He showed me his loss as I needed to see it. That is all I can tell you." Lenari thought for a second and sat back in his seat, he could tell that whatever he had shown him was intense by both of their reactions. Sometimes he resented being a low-ranking medic, it was frustrating sometimes not knowing what was truly going on. As he sat, he made eye contact with the young women across from him she gave him a comforting smile when the child with them climbed down from her lap and approached Kershala abruptly.

"Why are you sad? You should ask Zarai to keep you." The little girl spoke with an innocence that Lenari had not heard in awhile. It was uncommon to see children coming from the docks, he hadn't been around them in a long time as he seldomly went anywhere other than the docks or his home.

"Yailara, you must be more polite. These two are of our protectors." Lenari watched as Kershala looked the little girl in the eye, he knew that Kershala loved children. He couldn't help but take note of the little girl's name.

"No, please it is okay," said Kershala glancing at the mother. "I have not spoke with Zarai in a long time. It could not hurt to try."

"Why are you so sad?" Yailara persisted. Kershala seemed to hesitate to answer the inquiry and Lenari could tell he was trying to word it for a child to understand.

"You do not have to tell her if you do not want to, I can see you are hurting," said the mother again, the apology strong in her voice.

"Well Yailara, I am sad because my little brother was taken from me a long time ago and I just found out that he is alive," explained Kershala.

"Was he taken by the Shironians?" she interrupted; her pronunciation of the word jumbled by her young dialect. Lenari could tell Kershala wasn't ready for her to bring up the Shironians.

"Yes…" Kershala paused and looked at the floor, "he was." Lenari could tell by Kershala's breathing that the tears were coming again. The wound of Tenaris being captured and given to the scientist was still fresh and would take time to deal with for any Daoran; it was quite literally their worst fears. Lenari rested a reassuring hand on Kershala's shoulder but he didn't seem to respond.

"I'm sorry." The little girl could tell Kershala was crying, Lenari watched as she crawled between his legs and looked up at his face. She reached up and touched him and when he didn't pull away, she wrapped her arms around him. "You're going to save him, right?" she whispered but still spoke loud enough for them to hear. Kershala looked up at the mother as if asking permission to hug her child and she smiled at him through tears in her eyes. Kershala hugged her tightly and let the tears fall.

"I am going to try," he spoke through the tears. "Thank you, Yailara. You have strengthened my resolve."

"Yailara, come sit with your Karu, you must leave him alone now," said the father.

"My name is Kershala and this is Lenari, I apologize for the distraction," said Kershala as the little girl went back and sat with her mother.

"You need not apologize for our young one's actions. We believe in you and we hope you save your brother. Those demons have taken enough from our people," explained the mother.

"Where did Yailara get her name?" asked Lenari.

"I chose to name her after our last great leader, Yailar." The mother smiled as she ran a hand over the little girls' braids. "As a protector I am surprised you did not know." Yailar was sometimes quite a divisive topic among the Daorans on the Typhonus, most of the civilians remembered his deeds fondly and how he protected so many during his life. Others chose to listen to Alarai's attempts to discredit his actions, this particularly bothered Lenari considering his past with Yailar.

"Actually, he saved me as a child on the Ataria city ship before the …" Lenari paused not wanting to go into detail around the little girl. "Well you understand."

"Of course," said the father. "Yailar was the last of our leaders to command great respect through his actions, the council keeps us safe but how long can we keep going like this." The transit pod came to a stop and they were at their destination.

"Our stop is here," said Lenari standing to leave.

"We continue on for another bit, it was a pleasure to meet both of you. We will pray for Zarai to watch over you and your family, Kershala," said the father.

"Thank you. You honor me with your devotion." Lenari exchanged glances one last time as they climbed from the pod and proceeded back to Kershala's quarters. They stepped through the front door and headed straight for the bedroom it was pretty clear they were both exhausted and Lenari was hoping for at least a few decent hours of sleep.

"Let's try and be awake for mid day. I expect Atondra will want us to help with the final systems check on the Sironia." Lenari sat down on the bed and Kershala laid down staying quiet, he was sure he had gotten a decent amount of his emotions out but knew it could still be difficult. His silence told him what he needed to know as he closed his eyes seemingly shutting off right away.

Lenari felt like he had just closed his eyes when his communicator began to signal his implant waking him up. His implant connected to the Typhonus and it was at least two hours before he had planned to get up. He sat up slowly and looked at Kershala who for once was sound asleep beside him. With the communicator still ringing in his head he quickly walked to the next room so his conversation wouldn't wake Kershala.

"Hey, I'm here what is it?" he answered not bothering to check who he was talking to.

"Rotabu wanted me to call you, we've made some progress on Sashir's implant repair and they wanted to see you down here," said Elara from his communicator.

"Oh, wow really? I'll be right there."

"Is Kershala still with you?" she asked.

"He's still sleeping in the other room. He got some pretty heavy news from a meeting with the councillors early this morning. You don't want me to wake him, do you?" Elara hadn't been as bitter about Kershala's actions as some of the other crew of the Sironia understanding the impact of his loss a bit better than the others. However, it was clear her perception of him had changed once they made it back to the Typhonus.

"No, he's not due for another visit with me for another few days, but Rotabu would prefer he not come with you." Lenari was silent for a few long seconds, he had been with Kershala so much since they returned that he had only seen Rotabu a few brief times since. It was also apparent that Atondra hadn't spoken to Elara yet about their upcoming departure, Lenari would leave that to her.

"Okay," said Lenari, "Is there anyway you can see if the hospital will authorize me to use the emergency teleporter, otherwise it'll be a bit before I get there?" Elara was silent on the other end as he was sure she was making the arrangements.

"Send the signal when you are ready. I'll see you when you get here." With that she was gone, and his communicator was silent. There wasn't much he had to do to get ready to go. He would clean up, change his cloths, and give the signal. Once authorization was received it was valid for twenty-four hours, he would use his communicator and implant to signal the AI and he would be taken to the hospital. He walked to the bathing station and stripped before stepping in and activated the sonic resonator. As he stood there letting the vibrations pass over him, he couldn't help but think of the last time he saw Sashir. With information collected from the scientist's laboratory they had been able to at least see how the weapon disrupted the implants functions, coupled with Anubis' data collection they had gotten him to a point where he was stable and no longer at risk. He was no longer in the experimental trauma center; he had been moved to a more private room. They had been able to restore the implants ability to support his autonomic functions permanently and they had restored minimal movement in his upper body as well and though he couldn't speak he was able to fully understand those who spoke to him with certainty. For a while they couldn't communicate with him at all due to a cascade failure that had taken place in the implant while they were on mission. Lenari was excited to see what progress they had made since as he stepped out of the machine and applied his favourite moisturizer to his hair in the holographic mirror. He dressed in his clean clothing and gave the signal to the Typhonus taking him to the security check of the hospital area.

He stepped off the teleporter platform and was approached by two members of the hospital staff who would check his clearance. Once that was cleared, he proceeded passed the check point and into the primary guest wing where Sashir was being kept. Thankfully, the hospital was never really that busy as most of the Daorans on board the ship were healthy and strong. Most of the people in the wing were either elders or children, those that could easily succumb to sickness or other ailments. He came to Sashir's room and Rotabu and Elara were waiting outside the door for him. Elara smiled a greeting at him and Rotabu embraced him.

"It is good to see my boy," Rotabu spoke quietly in his ear as they embraced. When Lenari was brought to the Typhonus as an orphan Rotabu took him in and Sashir became like his older brother.

"I am happy to see you are well," said Lenari before pulling back from him, "Why are you both out here? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, everything is okay, I just wanted to meet with you both before you see him," said Elara. "You should know we were able to restore his speech."

"That is wonderful," said Rotabu joyfully. Lenari felt relief flush over him at the sound of the news but he could tell Elara wasn't done so he waited as she continued.

"It is wonderful, but you must know that his cognitive abilities are… distorted," Elara paused, "He will be able to talk to you and understand you, but you must know that some of what he says may not make any sense to you."

"How so?" asked Lenari feeling that the news wasn't all that good anymore.

"His speech is restored but because of the lasting scar tissue in his brain he may think he is saying one thing, but it will come out as something different. Aphasia in Daoran's is incredibly rare thanks to the implant but it is reasonable to believe this weapon was designed to kill and those that survived would lose their ability communicate coherently."

"Will he eventually get better?" asked Rotabu.

"I wish I could say, but as you already know, we are treading a lot of new ground here." Lenari had heard enough he just wanted to see Sashir, he pushed open the door slowly. Sashir was laying on the bed facing the window he didn't move as he stepped in the room, the others followed closely behind him.

"Sashi," said Lenari using the nick name he had given Sashir as a child. Sashir turned to him quickly at the sound of his voice and the expression on his face was one of joy.

"Nari," he gasped and threw his arms up for a hug. Lenari quickly ran to his brother and they embraced as he sat on the bed next to him. Rotabu sat on the bed next to them letting them have their moment, Lenari knew that he had been coming to the hospital regularly whenever he had the option.

"I wasn't sure I'd ever get to hear your voice again." Lenari pulled from the hug and touched Sashir's hair, they had taken out his rows and it had grown quite long to what it used to be. "What is all this?" he teased.

"My star has gotten bright," said Sashir. As the words left his mouth Lenari could see his confusion at what had come out of him. It caught Lenari off guard as well, but he didn't let Sashir see it. "My star has gotten…" he repeated with a bit of frustration in his voice as he raised a hand to his hair. Lenari knew what he was trying to say.

"Yeah it's so long now. We will have to get it cut soon, they must have someone here at the hospital who can do it," Lenari smiled at him and he met him with one in return.

"I've missed you," said Sashir.

"I missed you too." There was a pause as Rotabu leaned across the table and gave Sashir a hug. "Elara says you're getting better." Sashir smiled at him as he laid back on the bed and crossed his hands on his stomach.

"I can't life to resolve of duty." Lenari wasn't sure if it were just because he knew Sashir so well but even with the aphasia he could tell what he wanted to say. He could see the frustration growing but at the same time he was trying to stay positive.

"One step at a time, let's see if we can get you walking first," Lenari tried to sound reassuring even though it was hurting to see his brother like this. He had to think of how far he had come, at first, they weren't sure if he would live at all then they stabilized him and now he was able to talk and had regained some movement. He hoped it would all be a matter of time.

"I washed been so right when, I hope there was my way to love our time." Elara walked around the bed and began taking a scan with her medical scanner. Lenari could tell that the aphasia was getting worse as was Sashir's frustration.

"Elara is he able to access the Typhonus' libraries?" asked Lenari thinking he already knew the answer.

"No unfortunately his implant isn't currently able to use any of the uplink functions," she said as she closed her scanner.

"Before the Sironia leaves dock again I'll bring you your music files and something to read, okay." Lenari took Sashir's hand and smiled at him.

"Nari …" said Sashir quietly. Lenari watched as Sashir tilted his head back and closed his eyes there was strain in his face as he arched his chest and took a deep breath. A medical alarm began sounding. Elara rushed to action grabbing a medical injector from the nearby monitoring station and injected it to his neck.

"Elara what's wrong?" asked Rotabu standing up off the bed. Seconds passed and a medical team was teleported in. Lenari stood up off the bed and instinctively pulled Rotabu back out of the way. They watched as the team worked quickly to stabilize Sashir. "Elara!"

"She needs to focus, Rotabu." They watched as Sashir started seemingly having a seizure his body writhing with no sort of rhythm. Lenari was okay until Sashir made eye contact with him, his expression blank but tears flowing from his eyes. "It's okay Sashir!" Lenari called hoping that Sashir could actually hear him.

"Alert Dr. Sona, we have to take him back to the trauma center, contact them and tell them to expect a class four emergency," said Elara using her monitoring equipment and moving quickly between different injectors. "Prepare the patient for emergency teleport."

"Yes Dr. Renai," said one of the medical personnel as they activated the stasis unit on the medical bed. Sashir stopped moving after being encased in a stasis field.

"Activating teleporter." Elara activated the teleporter from her console and as the light encased them, she gave Lenari one last look of determination, letting him know that she wouldn't give up. He looked back at Rotabu not really knowing what to expect and before he could react the man embraced him. Lenari couldn't help but cry into his chest, the part that bothered him the most was that he felt like he couldn't do anything to help.

"It is okay little one, he will get through," Rotabu whispered and kissed Lenari on his forehead. Most that knew Rotabu would see him only as a gruff old warrior but Lenari would often see his gentler side. Lenari was smaller in stature than most Daoran's so Rotabu often referred to him affectionately as his little one since he was smaller than Sashir and the other kids in their extended family. Lenari knew that by the time he got back to Kershala's dwelling that he would likely be starting to get up. They expected a call from Atondra could come at any time. He pulled from Rotabu and looked at the empty spot where Sashir's medical bed had been letting his arms fall to his side.

"I have to get going." He looked at Rotabu whose eyes seemed to be pleading with him.

"Lenari please come home soon," he said.

"I will, but Kershala needs someone right now," Rotabu stayed silent and looked at the floor, "And I know you do too, he just doesn't have anyone else."

Kershala sat up in bed to the sound of the door to the dwelling closing. He got out of bed quickly and went to see who it was, feeling a sudden paranoia about being alone in the living space. Cautiously he came around the corner to see Lenari closing the door behind him. Kershala didn't think to the fact that he wasn't in the bed.

"Is everything okay?" asked Kershala noting that Lenari's expression was one of melancholy.

"I went to see Sashir," he began, "he was getting better, he's talking now and can move his upper body with limitation."

"That is wonderful news, Lenari." Kershala was sure that Sashir's recovery would be long and treacherous and every bit of news meant that they were closer to finding a defence against the weapon used against him.

"He took a really bad seizure and they had to teleport him back to the trauma center. He cried out to me, he looked like he was in so much pain. I don't want to think of the pain he must have felt."

"You know he is in good hands." Kershala could tell that Lenari didn't want to talk about it anymore and decided to focus on the up coming mission. "Has there been any word from Atondra?"

"Actually, I got it as I was on my way here, I was coming to get you." Lenari walked past him and into the bedroom. "I've just got to get my uniform on, and we will contact Anubis. They finished sooner than anticipated and we will likely be leaving the dock shortly." While Lenari changed Kershala waited in the entryway and opened a private channel to the AI.

"Have repairs finished on the Sironia?" he asked.

"Yes Kershala, repairs were finished just an hour ago, supplies are currently being loaded we are to proceed within the hour," explained Anubis.

"Are we to take the Arktora's vessel? Or will we accompany the Sironia?" Kershala walked to the window and glanced out over the ward as he spoke.

"We will be on board the Sironia." Kershala was frustrated that he couldn't use the Arktora's ship. "The council and I have concerns overusing the Arktora's vessel in proximity to the Scientist. I fear that she may have fail-safes in place to retake control of the vessel that we may have no defence against and could result in loss of the vessel or in it being turned against us again." Once explained Kershala knew that the AI was right, the Scientist was the source of a good deal of the Shirona Arktora's technology and the worry of her retaking it was a real threat considering the information it's sensors would now have on the Typhonus' telemetry.

"Very well." Kershala stayed silent as Lenari walked out into the room with his uniform on and nodded at him. "We are ready to be brought aboard." Kershala deployed his suit keeping the helmet off and the teleporter was activated. They were standing now on the teleporter pad with Omall at the controls. He and Omall hadn't spoken since they returned to the Typhonus and it appeared now would be no different as he turned to walk from the room once he saw Kershala.

"You could have told me you were signalling it," said Lenari as he stepped off the teleporter. Kershala smiled at him realizing he had forgotten he was speaking to the AI via their private channel and Lenari couldn't hear him.

"Lenari report to the med lab, Kershala if you will see me at the command center," Atondra's voice came over the ship communicator. Lenari gave Kershala one last glance, he could tell that he didn't want to leave him but knew his duty required it.

"I will be fine Lenari, thank you."

"Okay." Lenari smiled and left ahead of him while Kershala headed for the command center. As he walked, he past many maintenance workers who appeared to be bringing on the supplies and taking them to the different parts of the ship. He suspected Lenari would need to catalogue all of their medical supplies as they were brought on and it would likely take him a fair bit of time. It wasn't long before he was at the command center and as he walked through the door Atondra was discussing something with Jelani at the pilots station, Anubis was positioned in the AI casing to the left of Atondra's command post and Omall was at the operations station and Ralu at tactical. As he communicated with the ship's computer via Anubis, he could tell that Rotabu and Zaree were both cataloguing the weapons that had been brought aboard and Elara had come along as well. Omall continued to ignore him Ralu acknowledged him with a nod letting Kershala know that there were no hard feelings between them. They had not replaced Sashir or Ashal. He could also tell that the heavy weaponry put in for the last mission had been removed from the Sironia and it now seemed to be outfitted for more of a stealth operation. As Atondra noticed him she stopped talking and approached him greeting him warmly.

"I'm glad you are here; we are almost ready to leave. I wanted to discuss with you the information I retrieved from Qunaren," she said.

"Of course, Atondra. I wish to thank you again for going out on a limb to get this information as well." Atondra gestured him to her private lab as she walked to the door and he followed her in. She walked to the table in the center of her lab and activated it using her implant. The hologram it generated displayed a map of system space with the Scientist's ships trajectory projected over top of it. Kershala could see right away that it had made stops at several major galactic hubs all along its path, he figured if it had stopped there once, they often would stop there again.

"Which one will we be going to?" he asked already grasping a general idea of the plan he was sure Atondra was about to present to him. Most of the hubs were ones that Yailar had frequented at different times when his family was on the run to gather supplies and food. Kershala had been to some and others he had only heard of. They were all major commercial hubs that were out on the fringes of governed space; most of them were quite lawless. Their governing bodies wouldn't bother to police them as they were so close to the outer ridges of their borders it often wasn't worth it.

"One of these, Faranocka Station, was visited three times in the last thirty days," said Atondra. As the holographic image zoomed in on the space station. On the edge of the Turaleon's space, Kershala knew that Faranocka station was infamous for its black-market medical supplies and illegal medical technology, it was fair to say that one such as the Scientist would likely be a regular customer. "It would appear that they end up there once every ten days meaning that the ship will likely dock there again in three days. At maximum velocity we can be there inside of two."

"When we get there, we can ask around see what she has been acquiring on these trips and maybe sneak aboard her ship once it docks again."

"A simplistic plan but it could lead us to her very easily if we keep a low profile." Atondra stood staring at the station for a moment. "How are you feeling Kershala?" The question caught Kershala off guard until he realized that she was likely gauging his mental state to make sure he was fit to take part in the mission. "I know the information about Tenaris must have hit hard."

"Of course it did Atondra, but Bilan's memory reminded me that I am not the only one that has suffered loss through this war. That I must keep my head about me or I am not any good to those I wish to save." Kershala thought and reflected on his words for a few short seconds. "And I am lucky that there is a chance the two of them are still alive to have the option to save them."

"Kershala I trust you, but before we continue on the mission before us. I need to know that you will not endanger this ship and its crew again. We barely escaped with out lives last time due to your actions." She gave him a piercing stare. "That cannot happen again." Kershala looked down at the projection of the space station and then back to Atondra.

"You have my word."

"That is all I require." Atondra walked away from the table and headed back to the command center Kershala followed as she took her post. "Jelani, have the supplies been loaded and catalogued?"

"Yes Atondra," said Jelani as her hands moved across the console in front of her, "All secondary personnel report they are off the ship and all departments report they are ready."

"Good, signal the docks that we are ready to leave and set a course for Faranocka Station best possible velocity," Atondra ordered.

"Yes Atondra." Jelani sent the signal and began punching in the course on her console. Kershala watched as the main view screen activated as they pulled from the docking clamps on the Typhonus. As the tiny ship pulled away, they could see the hull of the Typhonus on the viewer it was so big only a wall appeared in front of them. "Brace for FTL." Currently the Typhonus still travelled at FTL, the Sironia was encased in the larger ships energy field it generated to achieve the desired speeds. Transitioning to its own field the ship would encounter a small amount of turbulence but if not warned it could very easily cause an accident. The ship shook momentarily is it passed through the field and jumped back into FTL.

"Good job Jelani." Omall walked away from his station and over to Atondra, he glanced at Kershala briefly as he approached then looked away.

"Atondra may I speak with you? I wish to address some concerns with you," he said. Atondra looked at him and Kershala could already tell that he was referring to him.

"You may," she said looking over something on her console beside her.

"I believe this should be said in private." Atondra stopped what she was doing and looked at him a look of disbelief in her strong features.

"You've always addressed such concerns in front of the rest of the crew before, I see now being no different." Kershala could hear irritation in her voice as she spoke, he figured she had reached the same conclusion as he did.

"If you would like I can leave," said Kershala crossing his arms. "I am the problem after all correct?"

"Yes, you are the problem. Has he been evaluated? Do we truly know that he won't try to sacrifice us again to save his next lover?" Kershala dropped his arms to his side and clenched his fist at the thought of any other love than Kale's; he was not just a lover and to say so felt as deep an insult as someone could say to him. "Why are we going after a human, anyway, why should we risk ourselves for this?!"

"Omall you are foolish, do you think that Councillor Alarai would let Kershala leave the Typhonus if he believed him to be a risk?" she asked. "And that human if you will recall was willing to work alongside this very crew and to help our people, more than even some Daoran's are willing to do these days."

"Please consider that if Kershala was still compromised I would be obligated to stop him from bringing potential harm to himself," said Anubis interjecting. Kershala wasn't sure if the AI was just trying to be reassuring or not as he did not feel it capable of truly stopping him from doing something he chose to do. Kershala let out a sigh and Omall looked at him.

"Oh wonderful our fearless leader who hasn't left the Typhonus in nearly two years is sure the young prince isn't putting us in danger," Omall's usual sarcasm was seeping through his words but Kershala saw for the first time the descent against Alarai.

"I know what happened before, Omall you are right to question my stability and I know that words can not fully show you that I have learned. My actions will show you." Kershala stepped up to Omall to be only inches from his face. "I also know that you are upset so I will forgive your transgression, but Kale is not just a mere human or a lover to me and I would caution you against referring to him as such again…" Kershala spoke low and looked Omall in the eye from over his brow, to his credit Omall never backed away but he felt he got his point across.

"Omall, retake your station, your concern has been noted," Atondra ordered.

"Yes commander." Omall nodded to Kershala before going back to his station.

"I want to be clear to everyone on this ship, that I have spoke to Kershala personally about his previous actions, he has given me his assurance it will not happen again," said Atondra glancing to each of the crew members present. "And regarding our mission, yes we will rescue Kale, not only to save him as a friend of the Daoran people, but because Kale was indirectly made aware of several aspects of the city ship that are considered to be a high security risk. We know that Kale would never give up this information voluntarily, but we have no idea what the Scientist will put him through to attain it. We also have a strong reason to believe that Tenaris, Yailar's second son, is alive and being held captive on the same ship that took Kale." Kershala still felt a pit in his stomach at the mention of Tenaris' name.

"I know Kershala," Anubis spoke in their private channel, "We will do everything we can to save him."

"Tenaris is believed to have been captured by Baraketh before the ship they were fleeing on was destroyed," Anubis explained out loud.

"Atondra, I will be in the med lab should you need me," said Kershala politely excusing himself from the situation. The more they talked about it the more anxious he felt to do something about it, and he couldn't, he didn't like feeling helpless more so now than ever. He made his way off the command center and to the medical lab. Lenari and Elara were examining information on Sashir's implant when he walked in. Elara took her work very seriously he had learned that much being a patient in her care. They had a holographic representation of Sashir's implant at the center of the screen. All of the different parts of the implant were highlighted in a different colour too seemingly make it easier to differentiate, and they were discussing it when he walked in. Lenari smiled at him while Elara stayed focused.

"See now on his last relapse the isotronic capacitor was effected," said Elara pointing to a small blue section on the image, "Then we repaired that, and it seemed to cascade to the crystal linear storage medium." Elara let out a frustrated sigh. "We got it out of there after it caused his most recent problem of aphasia, then as I said earlier after his incident this morning, we seemed to have stabilized that. Now he has memory loss and I can't seem to find what's causing it." She put her hand on her neck and stretched a bit, Kershala could tell she was tired. He knew that with Sashir she had been putting in long days trying to solve the problems brought upon him by that weapon, he figured that the trip away from the Typhonus would give her some time to rest at least at first.

"It's so strange," said Lenari walking over to the image and looking it up and down, "It starts out as an issue in biology, then moves over to the implant itself again causing a mechanical failure in the micro components. It's like a viral infection that moves from flesh to hardware once we figure out a way to slow its progress on the different sections of his brain."

"Zarai give me strength, I do not think we are going to make any progress today. Dr. Sona and I were at this all morning and got no where. What hopes do you and I have?" Elara looked over at Kershala who stood silent as they continued talking. "How long have you been there?" she asked. Lenari smiled at the question.

"Since the isotronic capacitor," said Kershala.

"Oh, wonderful." Elara went and stood at her workstation and entered a few keystrokes of information. "Anubis are you there?" Anubis had been fully incorporated into the Sironia's computer when they returned from their last mission, this would allow it more control during combat and overall, it would have more access to the crew.

"How can I help you Elara?" it asked.

"You have the last scans of Sashir's implant correct?"

"Yes, I received them from the Typhonus shortly before we boarded the Sironia."

"Great can you comb the information to make sure that Dr. Sona and I never missed anything in the scans?" Elara stood up and closed the image of the implant they had been using.

"Yes of course I can perform this in the background while I await instruction."

"Thank you." She turned to look at Lenari as she backed toward the door. "I am going to get some sleep, have the AI wake me if anything comes up that you can't handle."

"I will. Now go get some sleep." Elara nodded to Lenari and walked around Kershala to exit the lab. "She's been going nonstop lately."

"It sounds like she is making progress. Sashir owes her his life." Lenari walked over to him and put a hand on his cheek and then checked his eyes closely.

"How're you feeling, sorry I wasn't there this morning when you got up. I know you had a rough night and morning with the council finding out about your brother." Kershala took Lenari's hand from his face and smiled at him.

"Please Lenari, I do not wish to discuss it."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Kershala wanted to change the subject when he remembered that he had given Lenari access to Yailar's texts on combat.

"There is no need. I simply need to not think of it now. Had you had a chance to review any of the texts I made available for you?" he asked. Lenari's expression changed to be slightly uncomfortable.

"Not really, I got a little bit into the first one that night before I went to bed, only a couple of chapters," Lenari looked down before making eye contact again and taking a step back. "Yailar was brilliant but his texts do not make for entertaining reading." Kershala couldn't help but smile, he could remember feeling the same way as a youth as his father made him read through as much as he could on a nightly basis.

"No one knows this better than I, Lenari."

"And you're forcing it on me?" Lenari laughed pushing lightly on Kershala's chest. "There's got to be another way. How did you teach Kale to fight so well?" Kershala hadn't told Lenari much about what he and Kale had been through. He never considered teaching Lenari the same way he taught Kale since they had used Jadak'tora for most of it. Given his emotional state over the last month he hadn't felt stable enough to use the technique.

"We used the Jadak'tora, I linked with him several times and showed him my memories from training," said Kershala reluctantly even with his renewed sense of resolve he felt it posed a risk.

"Oh…" Lenari paused, "well you could teach me that way too, couldn't you?"

"It was trying for me. I am not sure I am in a state where it would be a good idea."

"I can initiate it, that way its not hard on you. Rotabu taught me how to do it when I was first brought to the Typhonus." Kershala thought briefly he didn't want Lenari to host, some of the information Kershala possessed might place to high a burden on someone who otherwise had no value to his enemies.

"I will do it Lenari. Let's go to my room." Lenari smiled at Kershala's acceptance. "Anubis can let us know if you are needed." They left the lab and headed back to Kershala's quarters, passing Ralu in the corridor. They entered into the room and stopped in the doorway, Kershala looked around getting memories of he and Kale from when they shared the space. A renewed sense of hurt seemed to come from nowhere but Kershala ignored it pushing it down into the pit of his being. Lenari took a few steps in and marvelled at the room for a moment.

"This is the nicest room on the ship, we went through an emission nebula once. Ashal and I snuck in here and just sat and stared at all of the colors." Kershala could hear a fondness in Lenari's voice he had never heard while he spoke of anyone else before.

"Were you close?" Lenari stopped in the middle of the room and looked back at him.

"Yes, he was the first one I loved," Lenari seemed to drift away as he spoke. "He and I loved each other but it wasn't meant to be. Before we left the Typhonus on the mission we met you on, he was arranged with a member of councillor Lareela's family." Lenari's tone saddened as he spoke. "He wouldn't go against what the Typhonus AI and the council thought was best for him."

"I know what it is like to feel as though tradition stands in your way," Kershala spoke quietly as he walked over to Lenari. "In a few more years you will be arranged with someone as well."

"I'll probably reject it." Kershala let the conversation fall to the wayside and walked over and sat on the bed. He pat the bed beside him gesturing for Lenari to sit down with him.

"Come sit down." Lenari smiled and listened to him, Kershala took his hand and put it to his implant, he began to concentrate at first finding it difficult to establish a link when he felt Lenari's implant open up to him. Both of their markings began glowing as they connected to each other. Kershala focused on the memories of his training with Yailar but as he thought of them, he couldn't help but recall his sparing with Kale. On more than one occasion it had become quite physically intense as both of them explored one another's bodies after their first encounter. Kershala tried to hide the memories from Lenari not wanting him to see the intimacy he and Kale shared but he was sure that flashes of them had made their way through in the transfer. He closed the connection having sent Lenari everything he was willing to send with more. As the link ended, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed that he had lost control and let Lenari see some of he and Kale's most intimate moments. "I am sorry, I didn't mean to…" Lenari was breathing rather erratic and Kershala expected that the excitement he remembered feeling likely transferred to him.

"That was…" he started.

"Please… leave me alone while." The intensity he had experienced with Kale had been refreshed in his mind and he couldn't help but recall the smell of Kale's hair and the touch of his skin on his lips. He needed to be alone with these feelings as he sat looking at the floor trying to repress the sexual excitement that went along with the memories.

"I'm sorry Kershala." Lenari quickly walked out of the room probably feeling just as embarrassed at what he was feeling, he stopped in the doorway and looked back at him but Kershala didn't look up from his position. The door shut behind him and Kershala was alone.

"Kershala, I fear that young Lenari has developed an emotional attraction to you," said Anubis through their private channel. "This will not make it any easier for him to deal with that attraction." Kershala let out a sigh. "I assume the feeling is not mutual since you still think of Kale so much."

"You are correct. I do not wish to mislead him in where our friendship will go. My heart is still with Kale, even as he sits on that demons ship."

"I will instruct Lenari to leave you alone, you must focus on your mission. There can be no distraction for Tenaris and Kale's sake." Kershala thought a moment that it should be him to speak with Lenari but felt as though it would be too difficult to do deciding not to stop it from acting on his behalf.

Lenari walked out into the corridor and stood there for a minute, he couldn't help but feel stupid, wishing he didn't react the way he had. He had seen Kershala's memories of he and Kale's sexual encounters and couldn't help but react. The emotional transference hit him hard and had caused him to become aroused. It was clear that Kershala hadn't meant to send the memories but his overall lack of sleep in the last few weeks likely caused the memories to blur together and he couldn't separate them before the transfer. Lenari let out a sigh as he walked back to the med lab and went inside. The lab was still empty and overall, the ship itself was quite quiet, everyone had settled into their task at hand, whether it be categorizing inventory as he was about to start doing, or just focusing on ship operations. He walked over and opened one of the crates of supplies he hadn't been able to get to yet and popped the top from it.

"Lenari, may I speak with you?" Anubis voice came from nowhere, and he hadn't had the chance to get used to having an AI on the Sironia, so the voice startled him at first.

"Yes, of course, what is it Anubis?" He stopped what he was doing and looked around the room deciding to just lean against the crate.

"I feel that I must convey the importance of Kershala maintaining his composure over the course of this mission," Anubis began, "He cannot afford to be distracted when the time comes and he must save Tenaris and Kale."

"Of course." Lenari was confused and wasn't sure where the conversation was about to go.

"I am glad you agree. You must also understand that Kershala is not interested in taking your friendship any further than it has already gone." Lenari felt a pit forming in his stomach. "The unfortunate accident during his memory transfer was just that, an accident."

"I know that Anubis, I could tell from his reaction. I'm so sorry, he must have been so embarrassed," said Lenari speaking quickly. Part of him hoped that the conversation would stop there but he knew that it wasn't going to.

"The memories he shares with Kale, are sacred to him and even against my recommendation and understanding of tradition, he has chosen him." The words were no surprise to Lenari but if Anubis was saying this then he wasn't as good at hiding his feelings as he hoped he was. "What you have done for him over these last couple of weeks has been nothing short of remarkable, he simply would not have recovered as he did without your attention. But your service has been fulfilled and for your own sake I would like for you to stay away from him for the duration of the mission unless otherwise necessary."

"Why do I have to stay away from him?" Lenari was trying not to be visibly upset but it wasn't working.

"A few simple scans tell me that you are not capable of ignoring your feelings for him and he can't be emotionally responsible for someone else during these trying times. If you stay away, he will not have to be." It was clear that Anubis didn't really care about him at all but Lenari couldn't get too upset with it. It was programmed to protect Kershala and his family and other Daoran's were just servants to them. Kershala had told him of a few conversations they had where it expressed this as such. His emotions got the better of him and the tears started to fall, he hated that he was being asked to stay completely away from Kershala. They had spent so much time together over the last few weeks that he had grown to love his company. He always knew that his feelings wouldn't be returned as far as love was concerned but he felt like they were good friends and to have to drop that now was painful. "I'm sorry Lenari, but this is for the better for both of you. I will leave you to your thoughts."

"He's still my friend though Anubis."

"And he wishes to remain as such, but until you are able to fully understand that, you must stay away from him. For both of your sake."

"Okay…" Lenari gave up knowing that he wouldn't win the argument he sniffled and wiped his eyes sitting there with himself for a few moments before facing back to what he was working on.

It was later in the evening, Lenari's duty shift had ended just an hour ago when Elara came back from a long rest. Lenari was laying in the common barracks a public bunk for the lower ranking crew on the ship. They were arranged as a bunk style bed with truly little room between them Jelani always bunked above him with Omall and Ralu beside him, Zaree and Sashir were in front of his and Jelani's bunks. Ralu had taken the second pilots shift and Rotabu was working longer hours to make sure the ships defences were fully prepared for any type of combat they might engage in. Omall, Jelani, and Zaree were in their off time in the room with him, usually he engaged with them on a frequent basis but with how his conversation with the AI had gone he stayed quiet with his back to them, trying to fall asleep and not deal with his feelings.

"How was the engine drift this morning?" asked Omall Lenari could hear him falling into his bunk and laying back on the bed his boots falling to the ground with a thud.

"It was good, it seems like the Typhonus engineering core really did a good job with their repairs and refits," said Jelani in a teasing voice.

"Engineering core are you crazy?" laughed Omall catching her tease, "Those fools could not fix dinner. It was all me. Those final few calibrations seemed to have really hit the target huh?" Omall and Jelani often talked about the ship's engine performance as pilot and engineer, at one point the two of them had an engaged sexual relationship as well but that seemed to have ended before Kershala and Kale were brought on the ship. Omall had at one point been paired to a woman from a relatively unknown family but after a short time he broke that off as well he had the reputation for being a wonderful lover, with unmatched passion. Whether Lenari wanted to hear about it or not he had been awake for a couple of the conversations Jelani and Zaree had had. Omall was considered attractive by most and his personality was light and comforting, he was easy to fall for.

"Sure it was Omall," laughed Jelani.

"I believe him, he has got to be doing something down there in that dark hole all this time," said Zaree. "He's hardly ever at his command center post."

"I'm sure he also spends a lot of time roaming around the ship. I've seen him in the med lab more than few times." Lenari could tell that Jelani was trying to give him a way to join the conversation as by now he was sure that she had noticed how quiet he was. He stayed quiet still not wanting to get involved. He felt Jelani shift to look down over the side of her bunk, Lenari kept his eyes closed hoping they would leave him alone. "He's asleep, I guess," she said as she raised back up. There was quiet in the room and for a moment Lenari just thought that they'd leave him alone and continue on with their conversation or leave the room. He felt something behind as one of them climbed onto the bed with him and put an arm around him.

"Are you really asleep, my little medic?" Omall's voice was as happy as it usually was and Lenari decided to give up.

"I was trying to be," he said keeping his eyes closed.

"What's wrong?" He realized as Jelani spoke, he hadn't done a particularly good job of keeping his feelings out of his voice, it was something he wasn't good with.

"I'd rather not talk about it," he said as he opened his eyes to be looking at the wall.

"You will though, right?" asked Omall, "You can't admit there is something to talk about then not talk." Lenari turned around to face Omall, who smiled at him.

"Is it about Sashir?" asked Zaree. "I thought he was doing better."

"No, Elara told me he had another major digression just this morning," explained Jelani, "He's aphasic as well."

"I've never heard of any Daoran's being aphasic before." Zaree dropped down from her bunk and sat against Lenari's bunk on the lower half. She was good friends with Sashir and Lenari knew she had been worried; she hadn't been aloud to go see him while in the medical center.

"That's because our implant stops it from being possible when its functioning properly, that is where the issue is for him," said Lenari quietly. The stress of his emotions was becoming too much to handle as he took a deep breath, he could feel the tears forming, he tried to look away from Omall before they fell but he saw it coming. He had been trying not to think of Sashir on top of everything else that was going on, there was nothing he could do to help him.

"That's it," said Omall. He felt Omall put a hand on his chest and turned him around. "Don't worry about Sashir Lenari, he's got the best doctors on the Typhonus working on him. They will figure it out." Lenari couldn't help but feel that the words were hollow he knew better than anyone about the doctors and the team that had been working on Sashir. Jelani dropped down from her bunk and climbed in on top of the two of them laying her head on Lenari's chest and taking one of his hands.

"That's not it is it?" she said. "I know what it is."

"What else could it be Jelani, Sashir is his brother?" said Omall hoisting himself up on an arm.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" she said. Lenari just turned his head not wanting to admit it because of the overall feeling toward Kershala on the ship right now. He and Jelani weren't as close anymore but at one point they had spent a lot of time together. Both of them orphans from the war, they had a lot in common. She knew how to read him better than any of his other colleagues on the ship.

"In love with who?" Omall looked at Jelani then back to Lenari.

"Kershala," said Lenari quietly.

"What?!" Omall crawled off the bed and sat beside it looking at them. "How could you fall in love with him when he almost got us killed over that human?"

"It doesn't matter, Anubis has already made it clear that the feelings aren't mutual, and I am not aloud to be around him." Tears fell at the thought of not being able to be around Kershala after all the time they had spent together over the last month and he wiped them away.

"I'm sorry Lenari," said Jelani. "I know you spent a lot of time with him. I just assumed you would have more of a doctor patient relationship with him."

"Ridiculous." Omall stood up and got ready to leave.

"Omall, don't be like that. You weren't in the command center when Kale was taken. I've never seen anyone fight so hard. He'd have destroyed us all if Kale hadn't stopped him from going after him." Omall stopped at the doorway and looked back at them. "I know you've never loved anyone enough to truly sacrifice like he was willing to. We should all hope to know love so strong before our passing."

"I guess given his family lineage he would view love as a more singular option," said Zaree.

"Its great that he has known love like that, I just hope he doesn't get us all killed to keep it." Lenari could hear a certain degree of hurt in Omall's voice at Jelani's comments but after what he said he didn't feel any sympathy for him as he left the room.

"He'll get over it," said Jelani.

"Thank you for listening to me," said Lenari, looking from Jelani to Zaree.

"You know we are always here for you." Jelani laid to the side of him and looked at him resting her hands on her chest. "I am not saying I like him Lenari, I just understand his actions and I understand how you could fall for him." That was all Lenari wanted at the moment was someone who understood what he was going through.

"That's okay." Jelani sat up and got off the bunk stretching.

"Do you guys wanna go get something to eat in the galley? I'm so hungry," she said.

"I'll go," Zaree stood up as well and bent down to look in at Lenari, "You coming?" Lenari had a long day behind him and just wanted to get as much sleep as he could. He had eaten in the middle of his shift, so he wasn't hungry.

"I'm really not hungry and I've had such a long day. I'm going to stay and nap."

"Okay, well I hope you feel better at least." Zaree reached in and pat him on the leg. "Don't be afraid to talk to us if you need to." Lenari sat up on an elbow and smiled at her as the two women stood up and left the room. Lenari laid down and ran his hands through his hair before closing his eyes to try and get some sleep. He would fall asleep thinking of what the AI said earlier that day.

Kershala opened his eyes having slept well for once in a long time, he stood up from his bed and walked to the window the cold metal of the floor on his skin. He rested one arm on the window and ran a hand over his regrown beard. He couldn't help but think of that night on the floor in Kale's bathroom as Kale shaved his face for the first time. He closed his eyes and remembered his gentle touch as he smoothed the lather over his face recalling how calming and unfamiliar a gentle touch had been at that point. So much time had passed since then and he knew Kale was waiting for him to rescue him. He dropped his hand from his face and put both arms up to the glass looking out in the light as the ship travelled at FTL when suddenly the ship dropped to sub-light speeds. He could see Faranocka station off in the distance, they had arrived at their destination much sooner than Kershala thought they would. It had only been a day and a half since they left the Typhonus.

"Kershala please report to the command center. We will be boarding the station shortly," Atondra's voice come over the comm system. Kershala suited up and quickly left the room for the command center. As he arrived, he noted that Omall, Rotabu and Elara had all taken their stations.

"Have we announced our presence?" he asked.

"Not yet," said Atondra. "We are holding position in the nearby nebula, unless we are being sought out specifically, we will not be detected."

"Anubis monitor all communications traffic on the station, keyword search for Sindar, Shironian, human and Daoran," he instructed.

"Yes Kershala, I have already been monitoring their communications array but there is a great deal of traffic. This area is among the busiest sectors of space that exist," Anubis explained.

"Use the Sironia's communications system and main computer to assist if you need to allocate additional resources." The view screen was soon blocked by a swirl of colors from the gas nebula they now resided in. "Atondra will you accompany me to the station via transport pod? The Sironia has one yes?"

"Yes. It has been awhile since I have been here, I look forward to it," said Atondra.

"Commander, I must object, you cannot put yourself at such risk," Rotabu objected.

"I will be fine, Rotabu, we will not be looking for trouble just observing the crowd, Kershala is there should I need help and you well know that I am capable of protecting myself should the need arise." Atondra input something on her command console and took a step back. "Use the sensors to keep an eye on incoming traffic, alert us if the vessel arrives while we are down there." She said as she turned to Kershala. "Shall we go?" Kershala nodded to her acknowledging her request and she led the way. "Rotabu you are in command until we return." Kershala followed Atondra to the lift that would take them to the transport pod.

"Anubis will keep me posted if anything changes via our private uplink. Too much communication with the Sironia may give away its location," he said as they stepped into the lift.

"I agree." Atondra activated the lift before opening communication with the Rotabu. "Please have Anubis contact Kershala should you need to reach us; I do not want to give away our position."

"Yes Atondra." The lift quickly arrived at its destination; the transport pod was remarkably similar to the attack pod Kershala had used to get to Earth. Externally it was practically identical aside from a few markings that signalled it as belonging with the Sironia. However, as Kershala and Atondra entered the unit the differences became more apparent. The pod was a good deal more designed around science as was expected, he could also see in the configuration of the pods consoles that it could be used in ship repair.

"Do you wish to fly or shall I?" he asked.

"I haven't gotten the chance in a long time to be in the pilot's seat. I'll take it for now," said Atondra. Kershala smiled and beckoned her to the pilot interface waiting for her to be seated before taking a seat beside her. As Atondra activated the interface they could feel the docking clamp release from the pod letting it hover under its own gravitic core. "Anubis will you open the bay doors please?" Kershala watched through the viewer as the doors opened into the nebula. The pod jerked a bit as Atondra took them out into open space as they began their short journey to the space station. As they approached Kershala could see hundreds of ships in the area of all sizes and configurations. Aside from the Turaleon guard vessels that patrolled the station regularly, he could see several Indarien vessels of notable size, along with a mixture of Rylon, Kalaran and Loktar vessels with several others of unknown configurations. "It's a busy day for galactic trade by the looks of things." A massive Indarien ship passed right over them, Kershala watched it in the viewer until he couldn't see it anymore.

"Indeed, my father had been here several times for medical supplies over the years as we ran, he never brought me with him for fear if he were to ever be captured," explained Kershala watching the station get ever closer through the main viewer.

"I have been here in the past but only to engage in the stations more legitimate services," said Atondra. "Open a channel and request docking permission." Kershala could tell that the station had picked them up and was monitoring their position. He used the console in front of him to open a channel to the stations docking permission. "This is Commander Aton…"

"Welcome to Faranocka Station, where you can find your hearts desire. Whether you're here on business or pleasure Faranocka has what you need." Atondra was interrupted by the stations automated ad service a female Turaleon's voice spoke in a pleasant tone. "Pleasure? No problem we're equipped with state of the art holographics technology, you can be in the most beautiful tropical climates the galaxy has to offer. Chionophiles? We've got you covered, in snow and ice if you prefer. Out for a night on the town or a quiet night in, talk to the port authority today or download our information packets upon docking for more information." Kershala couldn't help but smile at the ad as it continued, there was no way to bypass it that he could see without triggering a security alert, so they sat and listened as it went on. "Of course if it's business that's brought you here, make sure you take a walk through the promenade of our traders district, where you could make your next big deal and live out your days in wealth and happiness. And the best thing is no trade license required. Here at Faranocka station we leave your business to you as long as you maintain the peace." The ad finished but Kershala could tell the channel was still transmitting.

"Please submit your registry information and the general purpose of your visit." The voice changed to that of a male. "Once this information is received and you are within two kilometers of the station, our docking beams will take your ship into the docks. Please disable your engine when the beams are initiated." Atondra looked at Kershala who began transmitting their registration and purpose of business.

"That was not in place the last I was here," said Atondra. The ship came within the required distance and Atondra killed the engine, the stations docking beams took hold of the small pod and guided it into a docking port. It wasn't long before the pod was sat down on the ground with a thud. The docking clamp took hold of the ship and spun it around to face the entrance, this placed the pods access hatch to the walkway that would take them to the station access. Kershala stood slowly and he and Atondra exited the pod securing it remotely. There were several ships in the dock and the access port was crowded.

"I let them know we were here on business as traders, we will use the trader's access. That is the common access gate," said Kershala referring to the crowded corridor. "This way." Kershala had downloaded a map of the facility from the docking authority and received instructions on where to go. They proceeded through a scanner that was undoubtedly looking for weapons but also verified their registration and they were directed via holographic signage on where to go and were taken to a teleporter pad. As they stepped on, they were teleported to the inner trading ring and greeted by two Turaleon guards. Based on what Kershala knew about the place he was sure all the guards he was seeing were hired mercenaries, the Turaleon Hierarchy didn't have an official presence on the station.

"I certainly hope we do not have to get off the station in a hurry, it seems the process is quite time consuming these days," Atondra whispered as they walked passed the guards who had nodded them through.

"We will worry about that later." As they walked, they were now out onto the main trading ring, the site was quite impressive as it was easily several kilometers wide and several more long. There were thousands of people around them, but it was so well spread out that it didn't even feel crowded. Kershala scanned the area as best he could, using his implant to collect data. Atondra seemed to be leading them somewhere and as they walked, they would get several strange looks from the aliens surrounding them. Likely because Daorans didn't often venture out this far and usually had no use for the offerings of such a place. "Where are we going?" he spoke low as they walked trying to be weary of the crowd. He suddenly thought of the fact that there could be Shironian soldiers in the crowd and it could be detrimental if he didn't see them first.

"There is an establishment here where they serve intoxicating beverages and narcotics, it is a frequented stop for travellers in the area," Atondra explained, "It will be a good place to gain access to information. It could lead us the Scientists' buyer or someone else who may have dealt with her." Kershala stayed quiet he hadn't really been to such a place before so he would have to defer to Atondra's experience for the time being. It wasn't long before they walked into the establishment, it was the only business that you could not see into from the outside. As they walked through the large double door loud music was playing the bass from it seemed to pulse through Kershala's chest like a second heartbeat. He listened to the music and couldn't help but think he might enjoy it under a different circumstance for now it felt like more of a hindrance. Lights flashed around them in lots of vibrant colors the ceiling was decorated with holographic designs that seemed to float and pulse along with the music, he had never seen anything like it before. He felt Atondra take his hand as he realized he had been caught up staring at the holograms and move him along. Several tables were dispersed around the establishment most had people at them imbibing their intoxicants and engaging in acts that Kershala had never seen before. There were so many different species Kershala couldn't tell who was having sex or just having conversation. He was beginning to wonder who they would be able to talk to in a place like this. When Atondra took them through another door and as it closed behind him the atmosphere was completely different. The music had dropped to a reasonable tone and was coming from a live performer in the middle of the room. The tables here were more personal and most had several people seated at them engaging in conversation. Atondra lead them to the bar and they sat down on the high stools. "Barkeep, one star-drifter and a bottle of Orion's nectar." Kershala watched as the alien barkeep mixed liquid from several different bottles into the glass in front of Atondra before passing her a bottle as well. "Drink it slowly," she said as she passed him the bottle. She took a sip of her drink as she passed the barkeep her credit chit to pay for them. Kershala played along and took a small drink of the contents of the bottle, it was quite a bit sweeter than he expected it to be but had a bit of a burning sensation as he swallowed.

"So, its not often we see a Daoran in these parts," said the Barkeeper as he scanned her credit chit. "What brings you all the way out here?" Atondra smiled at him as she sipped her drink.

"We are here for high grade medical supplies," she said. The bartender took a glass from the countertop and dropped it in a nearby sanitization machine. The more Kershala looked at him the more he recognized the bartender as an Atani, a race of people governed by the pursuit of wealth and known for their management of monetary assets. At one-point Kershala remembered that one of their people at been put in charge of his family's assets.

"Well if you just take a right and head down the promenade you can find some of the best. My cousin owns a shop that sells some of the best medical tech the galaxy has seen," he explained.

"Ah yes I have seen his wares, they are mid level at best. Unless he has a stock that he otherwise would not advertise." Atondra's tone changed as she spoke reflecting implication. The bartender looked around as if to be making sure no one was listening to their conversation before sitting both hands on the counter in front of him.

"Well for the right offer I might be able to get him to… show you his private collection."

"Name your price." Atondra tilted her head back giving the man a sly smile.

"Sixty thousand credits." The Atani seemed to have a hard time controlling his excitement as he spoke.

"Ha, foolish Atani, now I see why you run a bar on the fringes of known space. Thirty thousand," Atondra took an aggressive drink from her glass.

"Thirty thousand, come on, my cousin won't even answer the comm for that much. Fifty." Atondra looked at Kershala who didn't really know how to play along with such a farce before looking back to the bartender.

"Thirty-five," Atondra's voice had quieted only slightly, her tone almost seductive.

"You test me women," the man bent in closer to Atondra as he spoke, "Forty-five."

"Forty, and not a credit more," Atondra went bottoms up on her drink finishing the rest of it, slamming the glass on the counter, and wiping her mouth, "And another of those if you will."

"Fine fine, forty it is," the Atani made her another drink and put in front of her on the counter. "I'll let my cousin know to expect you once the credit transfer has cleared."

"Thank you, for your hospitality," Atondra smiled as she sipped at her drink again before passing him her credit chit. Kershala watched as the little man walked out of sight through a door behind the counter. He was gone for a few moments before returning and giving it back to her.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the man smiled as she took her chit back and placed it into her pocket. Atondra smiled and nodded to him before he walked away. She turned her attention back to Kershala.

"That went as I suspected," she said taking another sip of her drink.

"I hope you are right; do you think this person will just give up the information?" Kershala took another larger gulp of his drink and shook his head.

"Of course not. Once we are there, I will get him talking and you will use your implant to hack his customer database. If we can figure out what he has sold to her, we might be able to figure out what she is up to." Kershala didn't like the idea of a full-on confrontation with the Scientist considering that she was the source of Jinnar's modifications who knew what she would have done to herself and what her combat prowess would be. "Maybe we can have him lure her in with the promise of some new tech."

"And when she is completing the transaction I can sneak aboard her ship and get Kale back."

"Exactly." Atondra took a final drink from her glass and stood up leaving half of it behind. "Let's go." Kershala nodded and stood up to follow, they left the establishment and headed down the promenade, they both had the information on the businesses in the area and Atondra seemed to know where she was headed as they moved through the crowd. They came to a business that had only other Atani working in the front, there were three associates talking with different clients and showcasing different medical tools and another behind a counter set up in the middle of the store, likely monitoring the virtual kiosks. The business wasn't that big but had several different displays of different medical technology, along with virtual kiosks that one could browse through if you could not find what you wanted on the shelf. The store front was remarkably similar to a lab having a very sterile look to it strongly resembling a lab. The Atani working with customers were dressed in white lab attire and Kershala could see they were intent on selling this place as a high-end medical supply business. Kershala scanned the room with his implant and could see that all of the tech being demoed was mainly cheap replicas using holographics to imitate the real tools. It was standard practise in most marketplaces throughout the economic sector to use these types of replicas especially with medical and weapons technology and if someone decided to purchase one, they would do so through the kiosk for delivery later. His implant also detected a security system reading their virtual registration tags as they stood there. The man behind the counter made eye contact with them as they approached, and he smiled.

"How may we assist you today?" he asked.

"We seek an audience with the overseer of this establishment, he is expecting us," said Atondra.

"Of course, just one moment," said the clerk looking at Kershala then Atondra before walking out of sight. Kershala's implant told him the clerk was anxious as he walked away, showing an elevated heart rate and body temperature.

"He is nervous." Kershala whispered Atondra looked back at him in acknowledgement he could tell she detected the same thing. "Should we proceed?" Suddenly Kershala felt his instincts telling him to leave and that something wasn't right.

"Yes." The clerk returned and smiled at them as he tapped a button on the counter opening an access point.

"Come with me, the overseer will see you." Kershala walked in first instinctively to protect Atondra if he had to get in front of her. They followed the Atani to the back room and were taken into the overseer's office. "He will be with you shortly." Kershala looked around not seeing another clear entrance into the room though his implant told him there was at least two invisible entry points on either wall. The room itself as they walked in appeared to be a basic office the overseer's desk and chair sat in front of a large window overlooking the nebula telling Kershala they were on the outer ring of the station. He scanned the room quickly and couldn't find anything holding the customer database, but a dampening field was around the office blocking his scans of anything beyond the walls.

"There is a dampening field. It is preventing me from scanning beyond the room," he whispered. The entry point to the right opened and the presumed overseer walked in followed by two Turaleon guards, their uniform different from those they had already encountered telling Kershala these were personal mercenaries.

"Good day to you, my lovely Daoran's. My cousin has told me to expect you two," Atondra greeted him with a smile but the mans eyes fixated on Kershala, "My name is Nargone, what brings you to me? We both know your medical technology is far beyond anything you could find on my market. Though I do believe I have some things that may interest you." He looked at one of his guards who held up his arm and tapped in a sequence on his wrist mounted computer before holding out his arms. A teleporter activated and a case was placed in the guard's arms.

"Well Nargone, my associate and I are more after information," said Atondra taking a different route than their original plan. Kershala worried about the dampening field and what it might be hiding.

"Well my dear, that is one thing that most of my customers can't afford," he sneered leaning in on his desk. "Although you seem a little better off than most." Nargone looked her up and down making Kershala suddenly uncomfortable, it wasn't uncommon for the Atani to own slaves and had no issue forcing the unwilling into those positions.

"You have dealt with Sindar yes?" said Kershala abruptly. Nargone's expression changed from being rather jovial to a serious tone and he leaned back in his chair. "Have you?"

"You're him, aren't you? My security information wasn't sure at first," A holographic screen popped up in front of him showing the video of them walking into the store front. "Baraketh is still after you, yes? Information has crossed my lap that he was extremely displeased with Sindar for taking that human instead of you." Kershala swallowed hard and Atondra seemed to be stunned to silence he felt an anger brewing in him, but he resisted the urge to act on it.

"How do you know this?" he asked.

"I have an information network I maintain. I will not give away my sources." Nargone didn't sound like an enemy to Kershala. "Your war with them has been ugly. The Atani Government fears that when they finally are done with your people, they will come for us next."

"Will you help us?" asked Atondra.

"You haven't asked me for anything yet," Nargone scoffed, "But I will help you, not because I feel sorry for you people, but because I know that mine will offer much less resistance. What do you need?"

"We know that the Scientist has been here several times in the last month we need to know what you've been giving them and if you can get her back here again," said Atondra. Kershala could tell she was surprised by Nargone's willingness to cooperate.

"I have never dealt with her specifically, her liaison is a couple of different Shironians, Rukon is the one I've dealt with the most. He's a Wraith. The last time they were here they took several kilos of differing stimulants and sedatives. The trip before they requested biogenic metals, remarkably similar to the types used in your implants," explained Nargone. The biogenic metals used in Daoran implants were used because of their ability to grow and form with the being they were implanted in. Kershala could only speculate but it would seem the Scientist likely used the same compounds in the production of her own implants.

"Did they give any inkling as to what they would use them for?" asked Kershala.

"Your ignorance is showing boy," Nargone gave him a surprised look. "Of course not, you don't tell the weapons merchant who you plan to shoot with his gun." Nargone stood out of his chair and picked up the case the guard had brought in.

"The human she has taken, is my mate… and recent intelligence says that she may have my brother as well. I am trying to save them," said Kershala as he watched the man sit back down with the case in front of him. "We know they will be stopping here again soon." Nargone opened the case and Kershala's implant received a ping that was incredibly familiar.

"I have this for you." Nargone turned the case around revealing two implants and what appeared at first to be a jar of black sand the top of the jar was glowing. "This was recovered from the wreck of the Ataria. It is believed to have been recovered from the vault of the royal family… your family."

"That feels familiar… I'm sure it's …" Kershala paused and reached out his hand knowing before he touched it that at least one of the implants belonged to Eshalaron. "Eshalaron's implant."

"This is a treasure of the Daoran people how do you have it?" asked Atondra.

"Many scavengers pass through here, I acquired this several years ago, I knew the right… customer would come along eventually," said Nargone with a smile forming on his face. "I can't let it go for free. But I'm sure we can work out a payment plan." Kershala dropped his hand to his side and glared at the man. "Five hundred thousand credits, but of course with no credits down and zero interest until you regain your home world…"

"And if that never happens?" he asked.

"I guess I'll just have to hope it does… the rest of the galaxy has remained largely uninvolved with your war with those vipers, the Atani government included, but we know they won't stop at your planet. They're seeking out resourceful worlds all across the galaxy and leaving behind baron wastelands and I for one do not want my own home to befall the same fate. You have a friend in me, Kershala." Nargone closed the case and pushed it across the table to Kershala who picked it up. "Go back to your ship, I will put out a call to the Scientist with promise of rare medical technology. She will come."

"What're you going to tell her?" asked Atondra.

"Let me worry about that." Nargone stood from his chair and headed back the way he came in leaving the box on the table. "Let yourselves out." His two guards followed him, and the door closed and vanished behind him. Atondra picked up the case and put it under her arm before turning to Kershala who turned to leave. They left the room in a hurry exiting through the store front and passing by their former escort.

"Have nice day." He said as they left the establishment. They decided to waste no more time than needed and hurried to the port they had docked at, luckily the process of leaving was not difficult. They passed the security check point and the guards nodded them through with little more than a glance.

"Kershala are you okay?" asked Anubis in their private channel, "My signal to you was blocked temporarily and I was worried something had happened."

"I am fine, Anubis, I will explain more when we are back, we are returning now." Kershala and Atondra loaded back into the pod and once they were cleared to leave were on their way back to the Sironia.

"That went much better than I expected, you never know what can happen when dealing with the Atani. I have never met one that knew compassion before," explained Atondra. Kershala had taken the pilot seat and was taking them back to the ship. "These implants, Eshalaron's memories are here. Something we all thought was lost with the Ataria."

"I will take them back to the city ship and Anubis and the Typhonus can index them properly." Atondra sat the case down, turned to face the console in front of her and opened a communication link to the Sironia.

"Sironia, Rotabu we are on approach, do you read us?" Kershala couldn't find the Sironia on sensors telling him the nebula was doing its job, but he knew it was there. "Come in Sironia."

"Yes, Atondra we read you, Anubis will transmit the coordinates to you," said Rotabu. Atondra looked at Kershala who had just received the coordinates nodding his head to signal her.

"We will be along shortly ready the access port," said Kershala.

"Of course." The communication was closed and Kershala took the pod to maximum speed as they approached the nebula.

"Do you think Nargone will follow through with his plan?" asked Kershala.

"I believe him. What he said is true, we both know once the Shironians are done with the Daora they will just move on to next species and he's right not many will put up the same fight that we have all these years," explained Atondra sitting back in her chair and watching the gas of the nebula pass through the window. Kershala didn't know why the rest of the galactic community wouldn't come to their aid when the war first started, he was too young to know the history. As he thought about it, it angered him, if the galaxy had banded together when they'd first shown up, they may not have even become the problem they are now. "The Shironian forces are too heavy in number. Our technology is the only reason we have put up such a fight to begin with and I do not know how but I feel as though we are on the cusp of a turning point with the war." As Atondra spoke Kershala could hear the hope of his Karu in her voice and he smiled, something he had almost forgotten about her.

"I will win," he said quietly. They could see the Sironia through the main viewer as they approached and more of the nebula cleared away around the pod. As they got close a guiding beam grabbed them and pulled them into the port. They exited the pod and got into the lift heading to the command deck it wasn't long before they reached their destination.

"I will head to the command center and I will let you know when we detect the ship," said Atondra as she exited the lift.

"I will be in my private quarters verifying the contents of the case." Kershala picked the case up and walked toward his quarters.

"I hope you find what you expect." Atondra nodded to him as she separated and went for the command center. Kershala wanted to have the AI analyze the contents of the jar that was with the implants in the case.

"Anubis, your presence is required in my private quarters, I will need your assistance with an item in my possession," said Kershala talking into their private channel.

"I will be there momentarily." Kershala walked into the room and over to the desk that sat in the corner. He sat the case on top of it and popped it open, the implants began communicating with him again as he reached out for the container that held the black sand in it. As he picked it up the AI appeared on the desk next to the case and hovered into the air. "Where did this come from Kershala?" it asked.

"The wreck of the Ataria city ship." Kershala shook his head the implants pinging his was difficult to concentrate over. "Can you deactivate their transmitter temporarily?" The communication requests stopped as Kershala looked over the container. "I need your help scanning this, can you tell what it is inside the container? I have tried with my implant, but the material seems to be blocking me."

"These implants are from Eshalaron Yailar and his life mate." Kershala watched as Anubis took scans of the implants. "They were thought lost after the Ataria was destroyed."

"Anubis you may index the memories later once we are back at the Typhonus, for now I am more interested in this." Kershala sat the container down on the desk.

"Of course. My apologies Kershala." Anubis hovered up from the table and passed a scanning beam over the container. "The container is made of processed claricite ore. That is why you cannot scan it," Claricite was not found on the home world and was considered a rare commodity, Daoran scientists hadn't studied its chemical properties yet. "The seal can simply be pried open from what scans are telling me, it is not a secure lock. Though the energy it is producing would suggest that there is a stasis field involved. I cannot extrapolate what for." Kershala activated his suit and reached for the object taking it by the base and wrapping a hand around the top of it.

"Place a force field around this room, if there is something dangerous in here, I do not want it loose on the ship," said Kershala. Kershala could hear the field forming around the room as a whirring sound echoed around him. Once he was sure the field was in place, he twisted the top of the container breaking the seal, at first nothing happened when the nanites in his suit began buzzing. At first Kershala was concerned but the black material in the container began to react and buzz as well. These were an older form of the nanites used in his suit and they were communicating. "Can you tell what they're doing?" It had been awhile since the AI synced fully with his suit taking information from the nanites individually.

"They appear to be syncing with each other. It would appear that this is an older form of the suit that you use, Kershala. Yailar must have used Eshalaron's original design and improved upon it," explained Anubis.

"Can they still be used as originally intended?" Kershala felt a slight excitement rise in him, if this suit could be used and improved upon then they could potentially have another suit to gift one of their warriors.

"Only by you." Kershala was still as the older nanites began to crawl out of the jar and onto his suit. He could feel the capacity of the nanites in his suit roughly doubling as they were absorbed into his. They added to the density of his suit and he could feel the integrity of their collective strengthening. "They have completely synced with the other nanites. Can you feel them?"

"Yes, it is a strange sensation." Kershala manipulated his suit some moving the nanites around on his body seeing how the new additions responded to his commands via the implant. "They seem as though they are adaptive. I can barely distinguish them from my original nanites."

"They have learned from the rest of the nanites and adapted their services to you. This will add a great deal more protective density to your suit. It will prove useful." Kershala tested them by forming them into a blade in his hand and waving it around a bit.

"I wonder if my father new these nanites were out there," he said as the blade reformed back into the suit.

"I wonder if that Atani really knew the potential weapon he had in his possession. We are fortunate that he was willing to return them to you." The light in the room changed as the Sironia was moved to a different position in the nebula. "A ship matching the configuration of the ship that took Kale has just entered the system. Let us go to the command center." Kershala left his suit active and headed quickly to the command center the AI hovering in toe.

"Keep us in the nebula, if they detect us, they'll either destroy us or retreat," said Atondra looking at Jelani as Kershala entered the command center. Atondra centred herself at her command station as Kershala joined her. "It is the same vessel. It has an incredibly unique composition. Omall put it on the main view screen." Atondra ordered and Omall pulled up the image of the vessel as it entered the space around the station. Omall, Rotabu, Jelani and Lenari were all at their different stations around the command center.

"Can we get close enough for me to teleport over there?" asked Kershala.

"Not while still in the nebular radius," answered Anubis. "The same properties that interfere with scanners also interfere with the teleporters."

"How do you suggest we go about this Kershala?" asked Atondra looking to him. Kershala stepped up to her console and scanned the ships trajectory.

"We should wait until they are leaving. With the lesser weapons load on the Sironia this time we will have less stress on the power core, and we should be able to match their speed enough for me to teleport aboard. If we go now, we risk a fire fight with them, we can't engage with them this close to the station. Station Security patrols would likely attack us to protect the station. Aside from that, last time our weapons did not penetrate their barriers with the upgrades, so I doubt we are a match for them now." Kershala ran the whole thing through his head very quickly but they had to be ready as the ship passed remarkably close to them. There wasn't a lot of time to process. "I apologize. I will not act so blindly as I did last time."

"I agree," Atondra nodded to him and gave him a supportive smirk. "When they pass close enough to the nebula on their way out of the system, we will engage our stealth system it should keep us from being detected long enough to get close and send you over there." Atondra looked at him with a slight concern. "As you said though, we will not be able to penetrate their barriers so you will be alone over there until you can perform the rescue and get the barriers down. If they should get away from us or overpower you…"

"You can't let them get you, Kershala," said Lenari. Atondra gave him a scolding look for speaking out of turn and so abruptly.

"Do not worry, Lenari. My intention is not to engage the enemy, the nanites in my suit can be modified to hide my life signs for extended periods of time if need be. I will be cautious." Kershala looked back at Lenari and tried to reassure him with his eyes but he could tell there was probably nothing he could say to set him at ease. "Anubis are you able to approximate how much time we have."

"I am monitoring their communications; it would seem they are quite displeased with your Atani friend. I believe they will be leaving the system shortly," said Anubis.

"Hopefully, they will leave him alive," said Atondra, "Rotabu, Jelani get ready to leave the nebula and initiate the stealth drive." Rotabu nodded and tapped in a few commands on his console, Jelani repositioned the ship closer to the edge of the nebula. The scientists ship was visible on the viewer and they could see it starting its exit route. It was moving quicker than anticipated but it wasn't traveling so fast they couldn't catch it, yet. "They're coming in hot, engage the drive and take us in." The lights went slightly dim as the stealth system engaged and Kershala watched as they exited the nebula, the Shironian ship moved right on passed them gaining speed. They engaged pursuit of the vessel and they were almost close enough when the entire ship shook. "Report, what is going on?" Suddenly another vessel appeared between them and the scientist ship, he could see that it was one of the stalker vessels they had worked so hard to lose after losing Kale. "That's the same vessel we got away from before," said Atondra, "Rotabu ready weapons target their power core." Kershala watched as the ship veered around and fired off several beam weapons all landing their target.

"They're equipped with heavier barriers than before," said Rotabu, "It will take time to break through them."

"Fire at your own discretion, Rotabu, let's not waste any time." Another volley hit the ship and it shook. "Keep ahead of them Jelani!" Kershala moved to be closer to the main viewer.

"Anubis, this is a Vorta class seek and destroy vessel is it not?" he asked. The ship flew around them but Rotabu and Jelani worked together and kept on them.

"Yes Kershala," said Anubis. Kershala could already feel its cyber warfare suite engaged with the enemy vessel.

"Look for a pinhole opening in the dorsal shielding." As he spoke Kershala's helmet activated. "Have you found it?"

"Yes, this class of ship uses a refracted shielding method leaving a slight opening," Anubis explained.

"Is it big enough to get our weapons through?" asked Atondra.

"There is only one weapon that needs to get through." Kershala kneeled down into a combat stance. "Narrow the teleporter beam to a singular confinement and send me to the access vents above their command center."

"Kershala what are you doing?" asked Atondra.

"What I am meant to do." Kershala felt the buzzing floating over his body as he was taken by the teleporter to the attacking vessel.

He was exactly where he wanted to be, he used his implant to scan the command center. Four humanoids, two reptilians and three saurian brutes including the ships commander were at their stations around the room. The ship shook lightly as the Sironia kept up its assault. Kershala crawled over to an access hatch that would drop him right in the center of the room, he violently and quickly broke the hatch off and as he dropped down his implant told him that the entire room had shifted focus to him. His daggers formed in his hands as he hit the floor, he launched the daggers at two of the humanoids killing them immediately. He recalled the daggers and bounded into the air, before launching them again as he managed to twist and turn around weapons fire. He hadn't truly fought since he was at the scientist's lab, but he felt purpose as he floated through the air. Using his suits adjusted gravity he launched himself at one of the brutes that managed to catch him mid-air. The brute threw him at the ground with everything it had, Kershala landed on his back feeling the nanites collect at the impact point stopping him from feeling most of the force. He jumped to his feet catching his daggers in his hand with one swift motion and ran at the brute jumping over its head and landing on its back. He forced his weapons into the base of its neck causing blood to spray on him, he forced the weapons out to the side causing the creatures head to dangle as the body crashed to the ground. Kershala took a shot from an energy weapon and felt the nanites adjust to cover his body, the red beam weapon was familiar as he felt the nanites fall away from him. After a second of pause he launched at the reptilian that fired the weapon forcing a fist right through its chest and threw it at the two remaining humanoids that fired an energy weapon at him.

"Kershala do not let that weapon touch you, it is the neural disruptor," said Anubis as Kershala dodged the enemy fire. He landed on the ground and before he could react to the AI's information, he was under fire again. He dove behind a console to regroup.

"So, it was you on that ship all along. No wonder Baraketh wanted us to keep looking for it," said the commander of the ship. "This will find me great favor with him."

"You will not live long enough to gain that favor, demon!" Kershala jumped from cover and launched one of the radeeko at the humanoids with the neural disruptors the single weapon engulfed them both crushing them to almost nothing. After them there was only the two remaining brutes in the room but Kershala knew more would be on the way shortly. He used his implant to hack the door and lock all the access ports to the room. He jumped out from behind his cover and jumped at the remaining brute sliding between its legs and stabbing it in the back. To his surprise the creature turned around and slammed him knocking him away before trying to pull the weapon from its back. As it turned around Kershala recalled the dagger ripping it right through his chest and catching it before turning to the commander of the vessel. "I will make you suffer." The commander smiled at him before taking up a combat stance of its own. Kershala threw his dagger at the brute and to his surprise it managed to catch it before throwing it back at him. Being caught off guard Kershala wasn't able to catch it and before it could be turned back into nanites it lodged in his side. The blade was surprisingly hot, and the pain seared through his skin, he hadn't felt this kind of pain in a long time. The commander laughed at him having gotten in arms reach. The nanites that made up the blade converted and sealed the wound until he could get back to the ship as the commander began attacking him. Kershala had never seen or heard of a brute moving so fast before, blocking, and dodging its attacks was quite challenging. He had to focus harder on his task and as he blocked one last down swing, Kershala used his other dagger to stab the brute with every opportunity he had. Once in the arm, then the shoulder, stomach, and leg. It was bleeding profusely when Kershala grabbed its fist forcing its arm back a way he knew it didn't bend, a loud crack was his reward as the bone popped out at the joint.

"No please let me go," the commander cried out in agony and succumb to the pain. Kershala jumped into the air and kicked him in the chest and knocked him into a console causing sparks to fly. Kershala would show no mercy as he approached the bloody and now broken saurian. His implant was telling him that the kick had shattered several bones in its abdomen.

"I told you I would make you suffer," Kershala whispered as he forced his dagger through the Saurians joint in its unbroken arm separating the joint. Kershala could hear the tissue strain under his weapon as the demon called out in pain. "You deserve everything." In a quick motion Kershala broke the Saurian's remaining limbs and ripped a metal bar from the nearby console more sparks flew.

"What are you…" Kershala forced the metal bar through the Saurian's chest and into the floor, it was long enough that it would hold him in place while he did what he had to do.

"You will burn with your ship." The commander stayed silent likely in too much pain to speak as Kershala took a step back and used his implant to scan the consoles. He found the tactical controls and proceeded to remotely lower the barrier around the ship. "Anubis tell the Sironia this abomination's barriers are down, also hack the local computer if you can and retrieve any of the logs left by the captain and senior officers."

"Yes, Kershala I have informed Atondra." Shortly after Anubis spoke the ship started shaking violently as the Sironia opened fire, Kershala walked over to the tactical console and rammed his fist through it to prevent anyone from raising the barriers again if they got into the command center once he was gone. He could hear them banging on the door trying to force it open. A conduit to the right of him exploded into a rain of sparks and metal. "I am pulling you out." Kershala knelt down as he felt the teleporter begin taking him. He arrived at the command center just in time to see the last two volleys of weapons fire hit the attacking ship causing it to explode. The Sironia shook as the energy from the ships power core passed over them.

"Have we sustained any major damage?" asked Atondra. Omall was running his hands over the console.

"Nothing major, the barrier generator has failed but nothing a power cycle shouldn't fix," he said. "There is engine damage as well." The crew present rejoiced momentarily before taking notice of Kershala who now stood at the door to the command center. They seemed to be staring at him and he could see surprise in Atondra's expression. Only a few seconds passed when he realized he was dripping with Shironian blood, the dark navy coloured liquid dripped from his hands and had been splattered all over his body.

"Kershala you require medical attention," said Anubis breaking the silence, "I have detected an infection present in your wound. Elara has been notified." Anubis had made use of the sensory information pulled from the nanites and sensor logs. Kershala's helmet retreated into his implant and as he looked down at the wound the nanites separated to show the wound in its entirety. It was suddenly painful as the air hit it and he could see by looking that the skin around it had several navy lines running from it. "Kershala go!" The urgency in the AI's inflection told Kershala the seriousness of the situation he hastily left the bridge and headed to the med lab. Lenari followed him from his station.

"Get us back to FTL as soon as you can," said Atondra as the command center door closed behind him. They walked into the medical lab and Elara walked up to him.

"Show it to me," she said plainly. Kershala retracted his suit and was left standing in his undergarments as Elara ran a scanner over the wound. "What caused it?"

"My own blade, I underestimated my enemy, the ships commander was not a normal Saurian," said Kershala Lenari could tell that he was embarrassed.

"There's Shironian blood present in the wound, that's what's causing the infection, the one you killed must have had a bacterium present in their blood stream," explained Elara. "It's hard to believe that even on a strictly biological level our species can't cohabitate." Elara finished scanning the wound and projected an image of it internally into the center of the room holographically. "I don't see how this is possible, we've been in contact with Shironian blood before and not seen this happen."

"Yes, it would appear that our enemies are perfecting the method of turning everything about themselves into a weapon against us," said Anubis. Lenari could see a change in Kershala as he seemed to suddenly get dizzy, Lenari pulled him in and held him close.

"Lenari will you go to my quarters and get the small collection of vials I have in the storage unit by the bed?" he asked. "They contain my families medical nanites, I believe they could fix or slow down this problem." Lenari looked at him not able to get him to a bed so he could leave before deciding to just sit him on the floor before he hurried from the room. Elara grabbed an injector and filled it with what he assumed was one of their antibiotic serums as he was leaving. Lenari ran down the corridor heading to Kershala's quarters as quickly as he could. The door opened before he got there, and he ran to the bed. He quickly looked for the drawer Kershala talked about finding it quickly, he practically dove to it and pulled it open sure enough seeing the case he was looking for. He grabbed it up and ran back out into the hallway. It wasn't long before he was back at the med lab.

"I have the vials." Lenari passed Kershala the case he had taken the vials with him in. Lenari watched as he shook his head trying to shake off the dizziness and loaded the injector that was in the case. Kershala held his breath as he injected the medical nanites into the tissue at the base of the wound. As soon as the medical nanites entered his body, the wound itself began closing and Lenari could see Kershala's face twisting from the pain. He let out a cry as they stitched him up, and Lenari took his hand and wrapped his other arm around him Kershala squeezed him tight. "It's okay I'm here," Lenari didn't care what the AI had said he couldn't bare to stand there and watch him in pain. Elara scanned Kershala's wound and watched as the whole thing happened on her scanner.

"This is incredible, I've heard of these before but I've never had the honor of seeing them work," she said, "They're attacking the bacteria, that has clearly multiplied, and actually destroying it as they repair the tissue. If I didn't see it happening, I wouldn't believe it myself." The pain must have shot through him causing him to arch his back as the wound was adjusted.

"Should we give you something for the pain?" Lenari cradled his head as Elara passed a scanner over his face quickly.

"No, if you inject something now it may slow them down." At that point the door opened, and someone entered the room.

"Atondra come here, I want you to see this," said Elara. Lenari wiped the sweat away from Kershala's face and could see the pain in his eyes. "These are the medical nanites that Yailar's family uses. A miracle of Daoran medical technology." Lenari found himself irritated that Elara was taking now to obsess over the nanites. Kershala slammed his fists to the floor with a thud as the pain seemed to arc again.

"Anubis, something is wrong, is it supposed to take this long," asked Lenari the pain becoming increasingly evident in Kershala's normally strong features.

"They are still fighting the infection, but it continues to multiply. The nanites are losing power another injection may be required but he will need to be restrained to prevent injury," explained Anubis. "Elara ready one of the stasis tables."

"Alright," Elara looked at Lenari, "Keep a hold his head, if he flails, we don't want him to get a head injury." Lenari stayed quiet and the worry must have been evident in his face as Kershala looked at him and tried to force a smile.

"It is okay, they will fix it," said Kershala before bracing as it seemed another pain shot through his body. He could hear Elara and Atondra getting the unit ready as he did his best to keep Kershala still.

"Set the stasis field to maximum, I fear it may not be able to hold him other wise," Anubis advised. There was a quiet whirring sound as the stasis table positioned itself up right so Kershala could just walk in.

"It is ready," said Elara.

"I have to move to the table." He said looking Lenari in the eye as if telling him what he was about to do next. Lenari could tell from the strain in his face that was likely using his implant to supress the pain he was feeling by having it numb some of the receptors in his skin. Something Lenari knew to be dangerous as it could cause nerve damage under prolonged circumstances. "Now." Lenari jumped to his feet and pulled Kershala up with him before almost throwing him into the stasis field. Lenari could see the stasis field envelope him and the machine repositioned for him to be on his back. Atondra passed Lenari the pack of medical nanites, Kershala had shown him how to load the injector and he did so.

"Should we inject them right away?" asked Elara, "Or wait and see if the first injection can handle it?"

"Inject them now, the previous nanites are almost out of power they will communicate instructions to the new ones saving time for the next round to assess the situation," explained Anubis.

"Exactly like I showed you right at the site of the wound," said Kershala still straining under the pain. Lenari did what he was told and used the injector, he could tell immediately the pain was more intense, Kershala letting out a cry in agony startling Lenari to drop the injector.

"Zarai's grace isn't there anything we can do to help the pain?" asked Lenari trying to think of something to give him or do for him to make this process easier on him.

"No, it will interfere with the nanites," Anubis was plain and to the point in its information. Lenari could tell that Kershala was trying to resist the urge to flail against the pain but he couldn't, and he could see the stasis field clamping down on him to keep him still.

"Atondra we have jumped back to FTL and are back on our previous course," Rotabu's voice echoed through the room and Lenari could tell that Kershala was starting to become delirious from the pain he was feeling. "Regrettably, we have lost the ship."

"Keep me apprised of his condition," said Atondra on her way out of the room.

"Yes Atondra." Elara walked over and passed her scanner over his wound again. "It is still closing but it has slowed down a great deal."

"The nanites have changed their focus to the infection. It has been deemed to be more of a threat than the wound itself," explained Anubis.

"Should we use a bio regenerator?" asked Lenari. "It might help them refocus their efforts on the infection."

"You may proceed," said Anubis. Kershala watched as Lenari grabbed the bio regenerator from a nearby workstation and began slowly passing it over the wound. The regenerator was closing the wound as Lenari worked but it was working much slower than it should.

"How much longer will it take; I can feel the wound closing," Kershala spoke between struggled breaths.

"They are almost done, Kershala with the wound closed they are focusing the bacteria and they are getting the upper hand," explained Anubis maintaining its calm demeanor. Another excruciating minute dragged by when Lenari could see the pain finally started to dull. Lenari watched as Kershala's tightened musculature relaxed after being tense the entire time he laid his head back and started to pace his breathing. He took a deep breath in and out as Elara shut the stasis field off.

"How're you feeling?" asked Elara as she walked around and ran a scanner over Kershala. "The nanites are still there it looks like, but the bacteria have been dealt with."

"Better." Kershala let out a breath as he rejoiced, the last of the pain leaving him. Lenari had taken a step back from him trying to control himself and Kershala seemed to take notice. Kershala beckoned him over and Lenari smiled when Kershala wrapped his arms around him.

"Can you stand?" she asked. "All that straining didn't pull anything did it?"

"I can stand." Kershala got up from the stasis table and sat his feet on the ground as he quickly realized he was still in only his undergarment. He deployed the suit as he stood up. "I feel fine, if not a bit hungry. I will go get some proper clothing on, then I will go to the galley. Lenari." Lenari had started to clean up the stasis bed and stopped what he was doing, he had been expecting Kershala to speak to him. "Would you like to join me?"

"I'm um not hungry, thank you though Kershala." Part of Lenari felt as though his heart had broken at telling him no.

"I thought I would offer," Kershala nodded to him before heading to the exit. "Let Atondra know where to find me should she need me, Elara."

"Of course." Kershala left the room and headed to his quarters.

It had been a couple of hours since Kershala left and Lenari watched as Elara fawned over one of the vials of medical nanites she had taken from Kershala's pack as he used a sanitizer tool to clean all the medical equipment they had used. He couldn't help but think of how bad he wanted to accept Kershala's invitation to go get something to eat.

"What an incredible little piece of nanotech. These things literally seem to carry a copy of Kershala's genetic make up that is updated when they are injected into his body and communicate passively with his implant," said Elara looking at an enlarged image of the vial on her holographic display. Lenari was unsure if she was thinking out loud or speaking directly to him, he stayed quiet in the meantime letting her continue. He was impressed with the nanites but felt too depressed to share in Elara's excitement. Elara made a surprised expression as she found something else on the nanites themselves. "Each of these nanites are equipped with a microscopic weapons array, that's how they were able to fight off the bacteria." Lenari continued on with what he was cleaning, he had almost finished. "Lenari?"

"Hm." He looked up from what he was doing to see her staring at him.

"You can do that later, this is an incredible opportunity to learn about these little wonders," she said beckoning him over. "Eshalaron and Yailar were some of the greatest scientific minds our society had to offer. It's unfortunate that Kershala doesn't seem to share in their technological innovation." Lenari walked over to the hologram.

"I don't think he's really had the chance to show us that side of him yet. He did fix the AI after all. That takes a great deal of skill," said Lenari. He couldn't help but think that if Kershala had of grown up during peace times that he would likely be an engineering scholar.

"I stand corrected." Elara smiled at him and went back to her scanner. "I wonder why they chose to make them burn through their power supply so quickly?"

"Did you take any readings while they were repairing the tissue, that weapons array you talked about probably takes a good deal of power to run," Lenari hypothesized.

"Good to see you were paying attention. You seemed like you were just running on autopilot when you were treating him. You guys have become good friends."

"We have," said Lenari, "but things have gotten… complicated recently." Lenari had gotten tired of talking about his situation with Kershala and wished he hadn't finished his sentence. "Anubis would it be possible for us to use these nanites to help Sashir?" Lenari diverted the conversation away from him as best as he could and only hoped that Elara would take the bait.

"That would be a great idea. We'd only need a few of them." Elara stopped what she was doing and waited for the AI's response.

"The nanites would likely figure out the issue in a short while if given the chance. Unfortunately, they would need to be coded with Rotabu's DNA signature to work," Anubis explained. "The process takes place shortly after they have been replicated. They are exposed to the DNA in the form of blood from the Patriarch. The machines used to create them, if they are not destroyed, are on our home world."

"Of course, they are," said Elara. Lenari let out a sigh of disappointment, the Shironians truly were a plague on the Daoran people and it was never easy. "Lenari your shift is over if you would like to go get some sleep before the next briefing, I can finish up here." It had gotten late and Lenari was starting to feel it.

"I guess I will go, it's been a long day." Lenari sat down the tool he had been working and turned to leave. He walked through the door and started toward the barracks he didn't get far when a ship wide communication was opened.

"Everyone please report to the command center for a discussion on our next course of action," Atondra's voice echoed through all the corridors of the ship. Lenari let out a sigh some what frustrated that he wouldn't be getting to sleep any time soon and started back toward the command center, he met Zaree on the way there.

"Briefing seems late," she said noting that it was later in the evening.

"I know, I was just heading back to the barracks to get some sleep," Lenari sighed, "So much for that. Hopefully, this won't take too long." They continued on in silence the rest of the way to the command center and arrived just as Omall did who had come from the engine room. Everyone was there, the ship had dropped out of FTL and Lenari could only assume that they had lost their target. Kershala and Atondra were at her command post, the others, Elara, Omall, Ralu, Rotabu and now Lenari and Zaree stood just in the entry way with Jelani joining them from her post.

"Unfortunately, as you can all tell we have lost our target. With the lead they were able to get there was no way for us to catch them and they have avoided our sensor sweeps," explained Atondra. The room was taken aback that they had just completely lost their target.

"Did that Atani trick us?" asked Omall.

"No, I do not believe that he was purposely misleading us. He may have been given false information for a yet to be determined purpose," said Kershala.

"They aren't always known for looking out for the interest of others, Kershala," said Omall, "Are you sure you weren't tricked?"

"Yes Omall," said Atondra matter of fact, "I believe he just did not have the correct information. Nothing more. My current concern is the information found in the commander of that stalker vessels logs." Atondra brought up a file displaying it through the holographic interface, Lenari didn't recognize it as anything and looked around making sure he wasn't the only one puzzled. "According to this log entry the Sironia is now wanted by Baraketh himself in having a connection to Kershala and the resistance."

"How're we supposed to avoid them there must be thousands of ships out there looking for us by now?" asked Zaree. Lenari echoed the sentiment but didn't want to speak out of turn.

"Once Kershala managed to drop the barriers on that ship I was able to mine its computer core for information," said Anubis, "I have been able to decrypt information regarding search patterns and patrol placements for most of what is now Shironian space. We will be able to avoid them as long as these patterns don't change."

"As of now we no longer have any leads on finding the ship of the scientist to save Tenaris and Kale, it is unfortunate but we must head back to the city ship," Atondra spoke with clear regret in her voice and Lenari watched Kershala's reaction to the decision as he looked at the ground his facial features seemingly showing remorse but acceptance.

"And you're okay with that?" asked Omall looking at Kershala with significantly less vitriol than Lenari expected.

"I will not endanger any more lives to save two, I have to protect all of the Daoran people." Kershala spoke quietly but loud enough for the room to hear, his voice was saddened it was clear but Lenari could tell he had not given up. Omall walked over to Kershala and took him quickly into an embrace.

"I just need to say this," he started, "The sight of you as you retuned to the ship during that battle made me realize something," There was an awkward pause in the room as the moment played out. "What you must have gone through, all that blood." Lenari recalled the moment Kershala made it back to the ship covered in blood, it was hard to fathom what he was capable of sometimes. "I'm sure not sure that anything between the two of us has changed but it is clear to me that you are the best chance that the Daoran people have to come through this war." Omall pulled back from the embrace and Kershala looked up at him and smiled. Lenari considered what Omall had said to him the day before and was taken back at the fact that he was now praising him.

"Thank you, Omall, I hope that one day you will consider me a friend again," said Kershala politely.

"Kershala, I apologize for the interruption, but I have just detected a signal from the communication device created for Kale while we were on Earth," said Anubis urgency ever present.

"Are you certain?" asked Kershala.

"Yes, I matched the device to my quantum communication signature, it is impossible for me to mistake as it is not possible that it could be duplicated," explained Anubis, "The signal was active for two point seven five milliseconds before it deactivated." Lenari could see pleading in Kershala's eyes as he looked at Atondra who seemed to be ready to act.

"Atondra, please." Was all that Kershala said when Atondra turned to Jelani.

"Jelani take us to the Sol system at maximum velocity, we should get there in just under six hours. Once we enter the outer reaches engage the stealth system," she ordered.

"Yes Atondra, I'll get us there as quick as I can," said Jelani. Lenari could see her enter in the coordinates and see through the viewer as the FTL drive engaged.

"The rest of you return to your stations and make sure we are prepared for a fight just in case some of our new friends find us." Lenari had the utmost respect for Atondra, her fearlessness was something he had a great admiration for and hoped that one day he'd be able to gain even just a fraction of her confidence. The rest of the crew went to their stations as Atondra returned to her command console. Lenari exited the command center behind the others, Zaree still walked with him.

"I really hope we find Kale and Tenaris alive at this point. Or at least that we find them as they were when they left us." Lenari knew that she was referring to the horror stories you would hear about the Scientist, Lenari had witnessed it first hand during the mission to the mining facility and could only hope they weren't too late to save them.

"All we can do is hope," said Lenari.

"Lenari!" Kershala called from behind them and they both turned to look. Kershala approached them and Zaree looked at Lenari, he could see her wondering if she should stay when he nodded her off. Kershala stopped in front of them as she walked away.

"I'll see you in the barracks later, Lenari," she called back.

"Okay, I should be along shortly." Lenari called as he watched her leave before turning his attention back to Kershala. "Are you okay? How're you feeling?" Lenari decided to keep the conversation as close as he could to a doctor patient demeanor. "No side effects from that infection, I hope. I was scared for a moment that I might…" Lenari realized he had failed his plan almost right away. "We might lose you." He knew his recovery didn't work as Kershala sat looking at him. There was something of a lost look in his eyes and Lenari could tell he was probably reacting to the fear of what they would find after chasing down this signal they now pursued. Lenari knew that whatever Kershala would likely say next he wouldn't be able to just walk away from no matter what he had said to the AI.

"I feel… feel anxious," he said quietly. Lenari took a step closer to him they were the only two in the corridor as he resisted the urge to reach out and touch his face. "I am sorry about how I reacted yesterday."

"It's okay, I know you didn't mean for me to see those memories, I know how sacred they must be for you." Lenari rested a comforting hand on Kershala's shoulder losing the battle in himself to just not reach out and touch him. This part of Kershala was something he had seen a lot over the last month while he cared for him. The warrior fought all of the battles that would save their people, the leader navigated the political landscape of the council but the young man that stood before him needed someone to be there for him when the other parts of him weren't able to deal with the situation and Lenari didn't mind being that.

"I am sorry to ask this of you, but will you stay with me? I do not wish to be alone right now." Lenari looked at Kershala not sure if he should say yes even though he wanted to, he must have waited longer than he should have as Kershala shook his head and started to walk away. "I will go."

"No, its okay." Lenari grabbed Kershala's hand and realized what he did letting it fall to the wayside. "We can be together for awhile. I need to get some sleep soon though." Kershala smiled and started walking presumably to his quarters beckoning Lenari along with him. "I just thought maybe with Anubis…"

"Anubis stop all monitoring of my activities until we reach our destination or Atondra requests my presence," said Kershala stopping to look at Lenari.

"Kershala, I recommend you do not…" Anubis started.

"Your recommendation has been noted, do as instructed," Kershala interrupted sternly. Kershala began walking again and they were at his quarters shortly.

"You didn't have to do that," said Lenari as they walked into the room.

"Maybe not, but if it makes you feel more comfortable then I had to." Kershala sat on the bottom of the bed and Lenari sat at the computer station in the corner. "What are you doing?" Lenari felt anxious now that he was truly alone with Kershala without the eyes of the AI on them he wanted to have a conversation he'd wanted to have for days.

"Kershala, I know you know how I feel about you," he started.

"I know Lenari, you have not hidden it well."

"I wanted so hard for it not to be this way, but I couldn't help it. It's gotten so just touching your hand makes my heart jump." Lenari stood there a moment not really sure what to say next so he just kept letting his feelings take hold. "Do you not feel anything more for me?"

"Of course I do Lenari, my love and appreciation for you has grown, you were there for me when no one else was," said Kershala. "But I cannot forget about Kale, you know that, he is where my heart belongs. I can't give up on him."

"I don't want you to." Lenari stopped himself a moment he wanted to save Kale almost as much as Kershala did. "I want to save him; I could love you both…" Lenari trailed off not sure where to go next.

"Lenari, humans are not like us, they don't normally take on more than one mate, there families are structured more in monogamy. You know traditionally the royal family also takes more of singular approach to partnership." Kershala stood up from the bed and leaned next to the desk. Lenari started feeling strange as his emotions began running through him, he could feel the markings on his arms begin to tingle as they began to light up. He rolled a sleeve down to cover them, but he knew Kershala could see it. He was likely detecting everything with his implant.

"Traditionally the royal family doesn't mate with a member of another species," Lenari didn't mean to sound crass but there was no way to explain their situation through traditional means, there was no basis for comparison. "How can you not feel more for me after everything." Lenari's emotions came to a head and he could feel the tears forming in his eyes. The combination of the frustration and sadness he was feeling was about to erupt in tears when he stood quickly to leave not wanting Kershala to see him like this.

"Lenari," Kershala spoke softly and grabbed his hand as he tried to almost run by him. He stood forward and Lenari stopped not wanting to look at him wiping his eyes with his free hand. He felt Kershala pull him into an embrace wrapping his arm around his waist, and as he did Lenari felt a buzzing in his face as Kershala took his face in his other hand under his chin forcing him to look him in the eye. Kershala looked at him for a moment and Lenari wasn't sure what was going to happen next and he could see the light from his eyes reflecting on Kershala's face. He held him tight and he could tell that even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to get away from him, Kershala's breathing was heavy as was his when Kershala leaned into him and kissed him. At first their lips met and Lenari became immediately aroused bringing his hands up and running his fingers through Kershala's beard and along his face caressing his jawline. Kershala released Lenari's chin and placed a hand over his implant, he pulled back for a moment and looked at him. "Jadak'tora," he whispered prompting Lenari to put a hand on his implant. Kershala closed his eyes as their implants began communicating, he opened them again to a full-on glow.

Lenari felt himself pulled into a vision of the two of them suddenly laying on the bed their bodies fully stripped and exposed. The flashes he got were intense and quick moving a blink again and Kershala was suddenly on top of him. One of his legs propped up over Kershala's shoulder and he felt him enter him, he expected pain at first but there was none. During Jadak'tora the transmitter had the ability to remove any uncomfortable aspects of what was the process of creating a false memory. Another flash and Kershala was crashing himself into Lenari and they had locked into another kiss as he surrendered himself to Kershala. He couldn't help but respond with a whimper as Kershala let out a growl and pulled back from the kiss. Lenari felt a powerful arm under his waist and another flash, he was suddenly pushed against the window of Kershala's quarters as Kershala feasted on his neck and body continuing his unrelenting aggression. A euphoria came over Lenari as the scent of Kershala's musk flooded him, he could feel himself coming undone he had never experienced such a passionate love. It electrified his senses his arms around Kershala's wet body sweat running down over both of them. Another flash and Lenari felt his breath slipping from him as Kershala worked into a vigorous pummelling of his body. It wasn't long until Lenari could feel himself fly apart as he reached fulfillment squirming and twisting as Kershala continued to invade his body, the sensitivity almost getting to him. Kershala let out a final roar as he exploded into him in two final violent thrusts. Another flash and Kershala still held him against the wall and leaned in for a kiss.

The two of them come out of it and they hadn't moved from where they were when they started. Lenari looked up at Kershala, both of them sweat running down their foreheads Lenari breathed heavily and could feel his emotions calming along with his prior confusion. Kershala slowly released him after holding him close for the duration the heat from his body subsiding only slightly. Lenari didn't know what to say he was surprised that Kershala had used Jadak'tora in such a way he had only heard of before. He had never experienced something so intense, the emotional transference had hit him and left him feeling a love like he had never known before. It wasn't the love he expected but he didn't feel pushed away or used either.

"Do you understand now?" asked Kershala.

"Yes, I do. Thank you Kershala." Lenari leaned forward and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"I do not believe I could ever have with you what I have with Kale. It is unique," Kershala thought for a second and Lenari realized that he had transferred some form of understanding to him while they had linked. "That does not mean that I can not love you or that I will not be here for you as you have been for me." Lenari had feared since he and the AI had spoken on the subject that Kershala would distance himself from him. Hearing his words made him so happy he had a hard time not overreacting.

"That means so much Kershala." Lenari stepped back and looked around at his surroundings remembering that Zaree had seen them together and would likely be waiting for him to return to the barracks. "Are you okay if I leave for now? I know that Zaree is expecting me at the barracks," he said. "I don't want them to start speculating." Kershala smiled at him with his usual soft smile and nodded.

"I will be okay, I no longer feel as I did," he said. Lenari smiled at him he really did want to stay with him, but he knew it would be better for him to leave.

"I will see you when we reach Earth then." Lenari turned away from him and left the room and Kershala went and sat down on the bed. Jadak'tora and the memory weaving had tired him, and he felt he'd be okay with sleeping for a bit before they arrived. His thoughts turned to the suit as he sat there, remembering the damage it had taken, a quick scan from his implant revealed they had lost almost thirty percent of their integrity from the neural disruptor and his own dagger punching a hole in them. He would have to use the regeneration chamber to recharge and regenerate them before he

would head off. He set his implant to wake him with a least an hour before they would arrive on the planet. His mind returned to Lenari, he wondered what the AI had said to him.

"Anubis, what did you say to Lenari?" he asked in their private channel. Anubis stayed quiet at first not responding. "Anubis…" Kershala stood up and walked to the windows along the wall resting his arm against the cold surface and gazing out into the light.

"I simply told him that his efforts with you were appreciated and thanked him for what he has done for you over the past weeks," said Anubis, "But I also expressed with him that until he is over his feelings for you that he must stay away from you for the sake of both of you."

"He does not need to stay away from me Anubis." Kershala knew what the loneliness was like and he did not wish to inflict that on anyone else if there was a choice. "He is my friend Anubis."

"I expressed that to him as well. Kershala I do not need to tell you the importance of you maintaining your composure for Tenaris' and Kales sake."

"You mean Tenaris' sake, do not pretend that what happens to Kale is suddenly of concern to you." Anubis had tried to stand in the way of Kale and Kershala's relationship before it even started, he knew that it wasn't out of concern for Kale, but Tenaris it was worried for. Another member of

Kershala's family was far more important.

"Kershala, though I did not approve of you bonding with the human, because he is important to you, he is important to me. And that put aside I do not wish to see him harmed," Anubis's voice had taken a different tone then Kershala had heard before and he could tell it was not trying to deceive him

as it spoke. "In the days since we were first brought on board the Sironia, I have witnessed Kale risk himself not only for you but for the Daoran people as a whole. I consider him a worthy ally." Kershala was taken back by Anubis' words but decided to leave that part of the conversation, once he got Kale

back Anubis would have a chance to prove it felt as it spoke. "The fact remains that with young Lenari you cannot be responsible for his emotional state. If he is not around you, you will not have to be. Once he has worked through his infatuation of you, your relationship will resume."

"Anubis sometimes things cannot be explained with such a simplistic oversight." Kershala turned and walked back to the bed. He laid down recalling a memory of when he and Kale slept here last to help him sleep.

"You have my recommendation." Anubis went silent in their channel as Kershala closed his eyes. If he closed his eyes and focused hard enough, he could almost catch the scent of Kale's hair or the warmth of his skin. Kershala found himself just about asleep when he suddenly felt a rush of absolute fear come over him. He jumped up out of the bed and activated his suit with his back to the wall he scanned the room with his implant. He found nothing but his mind couldn't find ease, he began hyperventilating as he felt a coldness come over his skin almost like he was naked. "Kershala are you okay?" The AI spoke in his head and for some reason the sound of his own name evoked fear. Kershala found himself almost frozen with fear not able to speak, part of him knew that he was feeling Kale's emotions, but he couldn't understand it or pull himself out of it. "Kershala I have sent for Elara she is on her way," said the AI. Once again fear overtook him as he melted down into himself, he curled up on the floor of his quarters just as the door opened. Elara walked in quickly and ran over to him.

"Kershala tell me what you are feeling? Can you hear me?" she asked taking a scan of him. The sight of Elara with her medical tool in hand for some reason made Kershala's fear worsen and he cried out as she touched him as if she had cut him. "I can't tell what's wrong. Can you retract the suit Kershala, it is blocking my scans?" Elara spoke slowly and calm trying to comfort him. He buried his face into the ground and closed his eyes tight retracting the suit. Even his suit didn't respond properly it was retracting but the nanites moved slowly over his body they seemed to be crawling over his skin and he could almost feel each and every one of them as they climbed back into his implant.

"Elara, this is fear, he is scared of you," explained Anubis.

"Give me the sensory information your link has collected," she ordered. A few seconds passed and Elara seemed to get what she requested from Anubis. "I've seen these brain patterns before, it's like he's in the midst of Jadak'tora, how is this possible."

"Kale…" Kershala cried.

"Can you force a disconnect?" Elara asked the AI. "Without a dampening tool there's not much I can do."

"I believe that could cause permanent damage, could it not Elara?"

"No, I don't believe so, though the type of damage caused by this is something I can repair quite easily should it need be." Elara rested a hand on his shoulder, and he flinched away from her.

"Forcing the disconnect now." As the AI finished its sentence Kershala felt a quick sharp pain in his head.

The next Kershala knew he was laying in the medical bay on one of the beds. He looked around the room and sat up slowly, he remembered the fear and the pain but now it was gone. Elara was in the room looking over what he could see were scans of his brain, she didn't notice he had sat up until his feet hit the floor. When she turned to him and walked over to him. He reconnected with the AI and could tell he had been out for several hours.

"How do you feel?" asked Elara, she put a hand on his stomach and coaxed him back to the bed, she looked in his eyes and started to scan his head.

"Better. Normal," he said. "That was Kale, I know they are doing something to him to cause him fear."

"You appeared to be in the midst of a Jadak'tora, do you remember anything that might tell us what happened?" asked Elara.

"I was just about to fall asleep when I just felt fear. It had to be our link." Kershala was sure of what he was feeling it was like the other times except this time he was wide awake when it started, he wondered if this was the difference.

"It wasn't like this the other times," said Elara.

"That is because before I was sleeping when it happened, now do you believe me?" asked Kershala.

"I guess we don't really have a choice," she said dropping her scanner to her side and stepping away from him. "Everything appears to be fine, no damage to the implant. I hope for everyone's sake you don't have one of these episodes in the midst of a fight."

"Once we save Kale, we won't have to worry about it." Kershala jumped down from the table again and walked over to the nanite chamber. "I want to repair my suit before we get to the Sol System." Elara walked over to the chamber and activated it before putting her nanite extraction tool on her wrist.

"Remember don't recall them okay." Kershala nodded and she activated the device. He could feel the nanites being pulled from his implant and resisted the urge to retract them. They swirled around her hand as she placed them in the chamber. The chamber activated and the nanites began hovering in the center of the machine as it lit up encasing them in a violet light. Kershala sat watching the nanites swirl for several moments as they charged while Elara went back to her work. The process wouldn't take long considering they were only minimally damaged compared to the last time they were in the chamber. "If you want, I can call you when they are done," said Elara from across the room.

"No, I will wait here," Kershala walked over and sat up on the one of the medical beds. "I need to do a bit of meditation to clear my mind." Kershala sat there and cleared his mind, whatever Elara was working on she was incredibly quiet making it easy for him to slip into his own mind. He stayed silent while he waited for their arrival on earth.

Kershala had been sitting silent while he waited for the call to come, he had heard the nanite chamber shut off at one point choosing to ignore it and he could tell that the ship had dropped out of FTL. He figured with the amount of time gone they had to be entering the Sol system. He opened his eyes and stood from where he sat walking over to the chamber and extracting the nanites before deploying his suit. Elara was no where to be found as he left the medical lab to make his way to the command center. Zaree and Ralu were at their post outside of the command center and as he entered, he could see Atondra at her command post with Jelani, Omall, Elara and Rotabu all at their respective posts with Lenari taking a secondary position next to Elara. He could see on the main viewer that they had indeed entered the Sol system as he suspected he could see Earth in the distance as they were coming up on the red planet.

"Anubis, what are you detecting?" asked Atondra.

"I am unable to detect the device anymore it does not seem to be on the planet," said Anubis, "I recommend getting closer, so we are able to take more in-depth sensor sweeps. I may be able to find traces of its energy signature when we are in orbit."

"Jelani take us to Earth's moon," Atondra ordered as she looked back at Kershala entering the room. "Do you have any idea where we should look once we're there?"

"I have a good idea of where it will be," said Kershala as he stepped forward looking through the main view screen at their approach. "Anubis once we are in range locate the facility I was kept prisoner at. I believe there is a general stationed there who may have information on the device." Kershala speculated remembering the general he had attacked right before being teleported off the planet. "Do you mind if Lenari accompanies me? I do not expect a fight, but a medic may be useful." Atondra looked at Lenari then to Kershala.

"Of course."

"Kershala I have found the facility, but I cannot find the device anywhere," said Anubis. The Sironia entered orbit around Earth's moon having traversed the rather calm system quickly. "I am using the Sironia's sensors to sweep the system, I am detecting no trace of Kale's life signs. He does not appear to be in the system." Kershala walked up to the viewer and looked at earth basking in memories of he and Kale living in the abandoned loft, he couldn't help but smile to himself. "Kershala do you still wish to go to the surface?" Anubis interrupted his thought and Kershala suited up as he looked back at Lenari.

"Go get ready, I suggest you wear body armor the cloaking variety would be wise," said Kershala as his helmet covered his face. Lenari nodded and left to head to the armory. "Anubis upload a lay out of the facility to me. We will be going to the general's office; he will speak to me." Kershala could see the map in his mind suddenly as the upload completed.

"Kershala have Anubis send me to where it sends you, I'm all ready down here," said Lenari over the comms. Kershala took one last look at the planet through the viewer it was mid morning so the base would likely be fully staffed. He enabled the cloaking system in his own suit something the nanites had been able to learn from Anubis' contact with the Sironia's computer system, studying the current armor the Daora were using.

"Stand by for teleport Lenari," said Kershala. "Anubis send us to the lavatory on the officer's floor." Kershala looked at Atondra and nodded as his body began come become invisible to the naked eye. "We will be back shortly, continue to run sensor sweeps for anything out of the ordinary."

Kershala felt the teleporter taking him and it wasn't long before his feet were on solid ground, his suit adapting to the familiar electro magnetic field of the planet. He looked behind him and using his implant he could see Lenari had been sent down with him. He knew Lenari could see him as well as he nodded to him staying quiet. Kershala used his implant to scan for any immediate life signs, he could detect several soldiers roaming the halls outside the lavatory but nothing immediate. He beckoned Lenari to follow him as he started toward the doorway, they walked by a row of mirrors and Kershala stopped briefly glancing in their direction. The cloak was nearly perfect but for some light distortion around his form as he moved, as long as they were quiet, they would not be detected. Not that it mattered that much, these humans were already aware that he existed, and their weapons would likely be useless against them with Lenari's body armor and Kershala's fully powered suit. He continued out into the hallway opening the door.

"Whoa Jenkins did you see that?" said a voice from a guard down the hall to their left. "That door just opened on its own!" Kershala and Lenari both quickly got out of the doorway and stood along the opposite wall.

"I think you need to have another coffee," said another soldier looking up from his phone.

"Hey man I totally saw it." The original speaker walked down the hallway and Kershala could see that these men were heavily armed as the man used his assault rifle to poke the door open and look in. "Did you read Shyanne's report last night? Said one of the security doors to the holding cells just popped open on its own. Jordan checked out the security system this morning. There was no malfunction." Kershala watched as Jenkins walked up to the other and put a hand on his assault rifle lowering it.

"So what, are you sayin' we got a ghost?" he said with a notable amount of sarcasm. Kershala signalled Lenari and they began silently down the hallway. Kershala knew that the general's office was down the hall and just around the corner. He heard behind him the two soldiers going back to their posts as they crept along. It wasn't long until they got to where they were going a quick scan telling him there was no one in the office. Kershala hacked the lock with his implant and they quickly walked in letting the door shut behind them. Anubis had giving him the shift rotation and work schedule of the facility; he knew that the General would be in his office soon.

"Kershala what are we doing here?" asked Lenari quietly even though their communications were set up to be silent to their suits.

"The man I am here to see will be along shortly." Kershala walked around behind the large desk that was planted in the middle of the room. There was a computer on the desk that had been encrypted as well, he easily gained access but found nothing of note on the machine. On the desk the generals name plate read General Shawn Rollins, Kershala could tell from the pictures on his desk that he was the man that led the attack on he and Kale in their hideout. Other people in the pictures included a young man he thought would be about Kale's age and a women Kershala assumed to be the general's mate. The rest of the room was void of any type of personality, nothing on the walls and the only other piece of furniture was a cabinet that stored old files. It wasn't long before the door opened up and General Rollins walked in as Kershala expected, though he didn't expect to see Officer Stanfield who followed the general in and sat at the chair across from Rollins. Kershala noticed the Rollins walked with a limp, likely a leftover from their encounter in the loft. He and Lenari stepped to the side and sat waiting. "Stay hidden until my signal."

"Rollins I just don't see how we could have lost those artifacts, there is no evidence that anyone went into the vault. It was still sealed until we opened it last night. The pressure plates were set off but its like they just disappeared out of thin air," explained Stanfield. The general hobbled over to his desk and sat down in his chair.

"Alien technology doesn't just get up and walk away Stanfield," he grumbled.

"How do you know?" she retorted. The general rolled his eyes.

"Have you finished interrogating all the guards that worked last night?" Rollings gave Stanfield a stern stare and Kershala could tell he was trying to intimidate her. Kershala felt an anger boil in him that he immediately had to get a hold of, he couldn't afford to compromise his mission. "Because if you're not finding success maybe I can bring my own guy in and have him sit down with each of them."

"General I've checked the security footage myself; no one left their posts and certainly no one made their way into the vault. How could they? They would need myself and another high-ranking officer to get it open. At the very least they'd need our access codes." Stanfield wasn't backing down and the general seemed to ease off of her.

"Is there a possibility that it was him?" he asked, "Could he have come back for the technology he left behind?" It took Kershala only a few seconds to realize that Rollins was talking about him.

"I can't rule it out, with the technology they used to escape you in the loft anything could be possible." Kershala was already starting to get a picture of what happened, either the Scientist or another Shironian commander detected the technology from orbit and took it.

"It was not Kale or I that took anything," said Kershala specifically remembering to speak English as he dropped his cloak and took a step forward. Rollins and Stanfield jumped up out of their seats the General struggled to get to his side arm and Stanfield holding her side arm up to him. "I am not here to harm you." Stanfield still pointed her gun at him; he knew the general could not be trusted as he reached for a button under his desk. Kershala detected that it was linked to the security system and severed the connection with his implant immediately.

"How did you get here?" asked Rollins. "What do you want?" Rollins voice was hostile and Kershala was prepared for him to become violent.

"Kershala is that you?" asked Stanfield.

"Yes," Kershala paused, "If you put your gun away, I promise I will not harm anyone. I have come here for information." Officer Stanfield lowered her weapon and put it in its holster. "General you may take a seat. Do not bother with your security system it has been disabled." The general looked at him and retook his seat quietly, he had apparently learned his lesson from their last encounter. Stanfield took her seat and Kershala walked to the edge of the desk retracting his helmet. "Approximately seven hours ago, my AI companion detected a signal from the Sol system from a piece of technology that, in our haste, we left on this planet. Do you know where it is?"

"Why should we help you?" asked Rollins.

"Kershala that is what we were just discussing, the phone was in our vault here on the base. We found it once you left the planet," said Stanfield. Rollins gave her a glare of dissatisfaction at her willingness to divulge information.

"If you can take us to the vault than we may be able to find out who infiltrated it."

"Us?" Both Stanfield and Rollins looked at him with a bout of confusion. Kershala looked back at Lenari who still waited along the wall and nodded for him to appear. "Jesus Christ." Stanfield jumped startled at Lenari appearing out of nowhere. "Is that Kale?"

"Sadly no, Kale has been kidnapped by one of my people's greatest enemies," explained Kershala. Lenari's helmet flipped back.

"Hello," said Lenari. Stanfield smiled at Lenari as he greeted them.

"He's so young," she noted.

"I believe it may have been the kidnapper who was here. They have an interest in our technology," said Kershala. Lenari took out his scanner and held it out to them.

"I can use this to scan the facility it will likely tell me who took the item."

"I know you have little reason to trust me," said Kershala, "But this could mean life or death, and if the Shironian's know about your planet it is only a matter of time before they will come to take your resources." Stanfield looked at Lenari and Kershala before looking back to Rollins, Kershala couldn't really tell what she was thinking.

"This is preposterous, what could we have that some advanced space fairing civilization could want?" asked Rollins.

"As I said your resources," Kershala paused. "Most of the things that human's value… your possessions, money, influence… will have no meaning to the rest of the galaxy. Your currency is worthless off world and your possessions are nothing more than useless artifacts to the other species."

"Other species?" Stanfield sat forward at the mention of the word.

"What the Shironians are after lies under your very feet. Minerals, water, and even the make up of your planets core can be used to fuel a power-hungry empire." Kershala continued as Lenari stepped forward.

"Your people… they won't just kill you," he started looking at Kershala as if asking permission to continue. Anubis had made the English language syntax available to the crew of the Sironia as soon as they were on board the ship. Lenari picked up languages better than he picked up fighting skills. "They'll topple your government quickly," he paused again. Kershala could tell that it was difficult for Lenari to speak on, but he waited for him to continue crossing his arms. "They will dispose of your elders and take the able bodied to be used as labor." Kershala could see the look of fear rising in the humans as Lenari spoke. He could see Lenari's emotions rising as he described what had most likely become of the Daoran's left on the home world. "They are ruthless, they will stop at nothing, you are below them."

"They can't be negotiated with?" asked Stanfield.

"Negotiation implies that both parties are have something the other wants, you are merely animals to them and you have no means of stopping them from taking what they want." Lenari looked down at the floor and crossed his arms.

"Take us to the vault," said Kershala.

"We can't just walk down there with the two of you with us," said Rollins. It was clear he was now convinced at least partially of the seriousness of the situation. "If you can tell us if they were hear. Maybe I can take proof to my government that an invasion is imminent. We might be able to mount some kind of defence." Rollins stood up as did Stanfield and walked to the door.

"Lenari and I will cloak as to not cause suspicion we will follow you to the vault." Kershala deployed his helmet and Lenari's helmet closed both of them cloaking as the General and Stanfield left the room. The followed them quickly down the hall and into an elevator, Kershala knew the vault was on the bottom floor of the facility. Stanfield tapped the button to take them down and they were silent as the elevator descended. It wasn't long before they arrived on the basement level. As Kershala walked he realized, this was where the lab was, they had found the Arktora's remains in. They proceeded down the hallway and approached the vault door. Two soldiers stood guard and greeted Stanfield and Rollins.

"General," nodded the guard. "Here for an inspection?"

"Yes, Stanfield and I are going inside to investigate the missing technology," said Rollins as he and Stanfield approached keypads on either side of the vault door. Rollins looked at Stanfield and nodded, Stanfield entered a series of keystrokes on the pad in front of her and Rollins followed suit. Kershala watched as lights began flashing and the large doors began to rise. It took almost thirty seconds for the door to be fully risen when a second smaller door opened quickly, Rollins and Stanfield walked in and they followed closely behind. Once they were in the doors shut behind them again, they walked into the vault and were able to take a look around Kershala and Lenari dropped their cloak. Lenari pulled out his scanner and began taking readings right away. "We only found out the items were gone as the pressurized alarm system was set off." Rollins stood with his arms crossed watching Lenari.

"What else was taken?" asked Kershala taking quick scans of the room with his implant.

"The remains of your… adversary," said Stanfield. "They were kept in a refrigeration unit over there." Kershala ignored her as he noticed the artifacts around the room. An Indarien communicator with an active power cell, a Turaleon grooming tool and an Atani currency converter all lay in different containment cases. As well as items from the Cartaxxis Collective, the Primari, and the Zendar.

"Where did these artifacts come from?" he asked. The question went unanswered as he walked over to the empty pedestal where he could tell the phone had been kept. "What have you found Lenari?" He looked back at Lenari who was slowly scanning along the wall.

"Traces of wraith skin shavings and a Shironian teleporter," said Lenari, "Judging by the decay it was about eight hours ago." Lenari was basically confirming what Kershala already knew at this point. The Scientist had been here and taken the phone and Jinnar's remains back to her ship. He found it odd that the Scientist would be on earth at about the same time they encountered what was supposed to be her ship. This led him to think that maybe they hadn't been as discrete on the station as they had hoped to be, Nargone had likely been tricked to possibly help lure them out of hiding. He opened communication discreetly to Anubis.

"Anubis, the Scientist was here we have confirmed Shironian involvement. It is likely that they are still in the system. Pick us up and have the ship ready to start scans." He looked at Lenari and then to the two humans that still stood in the doorway of the vault. "Lenari get ready Anubis will be pulling us out shortly. "Rollins, Stanfield I thank you for your cooperation, I will forward you something to show your government to prove the Shironians are likely coming to your planet. In the meantime, I hope to see you again soon." He spoke quickly as he could feel the teleporter activating, it wasn't long pulling both of them out.

"Jelani, do you mind if I take your station?" asked Kershala as he landed on the bridge. Lenari had been sent to the teleporter room but Kershala knew he needed to get to work right away as he leaned over Jelani as he spoke.

"Kershala what did you find?" asked Atondra from behind him. Jelani nodded at him and got up from her station.

"We found what I expected to find. The Shironians, most likely the Scientist, was on Earth at the facility where I was originally held prisoner. She must have snuck in and past their security and taken the device and Jinnar's remains," explained Kershala as he took Jelani's station.

"What do you plan to do now?" she asked.

"I will take control of the ship as I have done before and hopefully use it to find their ship hopefully with Anubis help," he answered. "Anubis give me control of the navigation and scanners. Using your link with the ship and my implant, enhance the scanners."

"Kershala I might recommend against such a thing, the last time we attempted this the sensors almost overloaded your implant," Anubis recalled.

"I will make it work." Kershala felt the sensor information flow through him as Anubis did as commanded opening the ship's sensors through his implant. At first, he felt a strain on his mind before the AI could adjust the data flow to only include anomalous readings. As he could feel the information flowing through him, he had to block out the sound of the system around him, the activity of the Sun, the songs of the red planet and the echoes of the sixth planets rings. "I can feel something there." Kershala caught a glimpse of what he thought was a ship in the sensor data. The Sironia flung around and began heading in the direction as quickly as it could but by the time they got there whatever he thought he found was gone. Another glimpse, something close to the sun. "There is something out there, but something is scattering the readings." A burst of information hit Kershala hard as a solar flare triggered on the opposite side of the sun almost knocking him out with an overload.

"Kershala, you cannot keep this going much longer," said Anubis concerned. Kershala rebalanced himself in the seat and placed his hands on the controls again. By the time he had filtered out the solar flare the image had gone again. Frustration was starting to hit him causing him to have a harder time concentrating on the data flow.

"I am fine Anubis." He felt a hand on his shoulder and he immediately recognized Lenari something about it brought him a certain calm helping him get back some of his concentration. He began focusing on Kale knowing that he was likely somewhere nearby he knew he had to make this work. "Turn off the passive data collection, I need to be able to focus on the ship." The ships passive sensors cut off and Kershala could immediately detect a dampening field blocking a certain area of the system that seemed to be moving about. "Anubis can you see that field?"

"Yes Kershala, the distortion does not appear to be caused by local phenomena," Anubis analyzed.

"Can you penetrate it or find the source?"

"No, it is too vast. It is beginning to obscure the entire system." Kershala focused as hard as he could, feeling the strain on the implant growing as he tried to expand the search area and intensify the sensor resolution. "Kershala I am detecting an energy building up at bearing one two six mark four." Kershala focused as hard as he could on the section when he caught an image of the ship suddenly very clearly. As he turned the ship to the direction of the image, he felt something in his head. "Kershala you must disengage from the …" Kershala suddenly felt an electrifying pulse move through his body a mixture of pain and disorientation broke his connection to the ship abruptly he opened his eyes just in time to feel Lenari pulling him out of the chair. Kershala could no longer feel his connection to the AI and knew immediately his implant had been attacked. His vision was blurred, and he couldn't hear anything he seemed to lose his ability to speak and as he tried to, nothing he said made sense.

"Anubis what the hell happened?" asked Atondra as Lenari grabbed Kershala who almost fell from where he was seated. Lenari looked at him as he held his upper body as he seized, violently jolting, his legs and arms flailing. Kershala tried to speak as Lenari passed a light quickly over his face to get a good look at his eyes but nothing he said seemed to be making sense.

"Something generated a feedback pulse through the ships sensor array, Kershala's implant has been heavily damaged you must take him to the med lab," said Anubis. Zaree ran to Lenari and Kershala and helped Lenari get his flailing body to his feet. "I was able to disconnect him before it could cause a full shut down, but I am not sure of the extent of the damage, our in-depth connection has been severed." The nanites of Kershala's suit seemed to lose control falling to the ground and scattering. Lenari watched as Anubis' core disconnected from the ship and hovered over them causing them to begin swirling around it.

"Jelani get us back to the city ship quickly!" ordered Atondra. As Jelani took her seat Lenari felt the teleporter activate and he, Kershala, Zaree and the Anubis were taken to the med lab.

"Elara!" Lenari called as they rematerialized in the med lab. Elara turned from her research and quickly ran to their side. Lenari and Zaree hoisted Kershala onto a bed and Anubis began hovering over him as the bed's stasis field activated.

"What happened to him?" she asked immediately passing her scanner over his body.

"An energy pulse overloaded his implant," said Lenari, taking his own scanner and passing it over the body. Anubis hovered to the nanite chamber and deposited the nanites before hovering back to hover over Kershala's head. "It looks like his autonomic functions that are routed through the implant are starting to fail." Lenari could see in his scanner that Kershala's heart and lungs were beginning to shut down, he was beginning to worry. "Is this the same energy those weapons use?" he asked.

"No, I am not detecting the same type of damage present as in Sashir and Ashal's implants," said Anubis, "I believe I can repair the damage though I do not know how long it will take. Lenari you must use a neural bypass to augment his autonomic functions." Lenari scurried to get the machinery in place he would need to run Kershala's brain he felt a feeling of dread coming over him hoping that the AI wasn't just being overconfident. He got the machinery activated quickly and used the virtual link up through the medical bed to sync it up to Kershala's body. He watched as the AI began running scans, several imaging beams running over Kershala's body. Lenari could see that Kershala was still awake throughout the process he could see confusion in his eyes as he looked around the room. From the readings he had taken Lenari could tell that whatever Kershala was seeing he probably couldn't make any sense of it. "His bodily functions are resumed; I am attempting to re-establish a connection to his implant through the back up link." The AI core began to glow as it began trying to repair the damage.

"What do we do now?" asked Lenari.

"All we can do," said Elara, "We wait."

Kershala opened his eyes, he was laying in a rather comfortable bed though he couldn’t recall how he had gotten there. He was back on board the Typhonus in the hospital immediately recognizing the recovery ward. The last thing he remembered was seeing the ship of the Scientist on the sensors and getting its energy signature before blacking out. Anubis’s core was floating above him and immediately feeding him information on what had happened. He recalled the pain of the feedback pulse but couldn’t recall anything after that. Two months had passed since he was incapacitated Anubis had kept him under to perform repairs to the implant. He stood up off the bed and looked out the window, the Sironia was in dock and now that he had the energy signature of the ship, they wouldn’t be able to hide from him. He deployed his combat suit and left the room with the AI in tow. They both knew the mission before them.


End file.
